An appellate court has directed SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won to pay 944 billion won ($644 million) to his ex-wife, Roh Soh-yeong, as part of their divorce settlement. This decision follows a Supreme Court ruling last October that sent the case back for review, finalizing Chey’s alimony payment of 2 billion won to Roh. The court’s asset division amount is lower than the initial 1.38 trillion won ordered in 2024.
The appellate court specified that SK Inc. shares owned by Chey must be included in the division, a contentious issue between the former couple. It determined that Roh is entitled to one-third of the couple’s property, while the remainder belongs to Chey. Chey’s legal team stated they would assess the verdict before deciding on a possible appeal, expressing Chey’s regret for the distress caused by the case.
Roh’s lawyers refrained from commenting on the ruling when approached by reporters. The divorce proceedings, initiated by Chey in 2017 after admitting to an extramarital affair and child with another woman, have culminated in this recent court decision. The legal battle, which began in 2017, involved the Supreme Court and eventually returned to the appellate court for resolution.
In a previous ruling, the Seoul High Court had ordered Chey to pay approximately 1.38 trillion won to Roh in asset division, citing a disputed slush fund allegedly transferred from Roh’s father to Chey’s father. However, the Supreme Court overturned this decision, deeming the fund’s legality questionable and thus excluding it from the asset division. Disagreements persisted during the recent court proceedings, particularly regarding the classification of Chey’s SK Inc. stocks as separate or joint property.
