Chey Tae-won ordered to pay Roh Soh-yeong $644 million in South Korea's "divorce of the century"

A South Korean court has ordered Chey Tae-won, the billionaire chairman of SK Group, to pay his former wife Roh Soh-yeong 944 billion won (approximately $644 million) in a divorce settlement. The Seoul High Court ruling marks the largest divorce asset award in the nation's history. The payout is significantly lower than a previous 2024 appellate court ruling of 1.38 trillion won. The Supreme Court had previously overturned that higher amount after determining that financial contributions from Roh’s father, former President Roh Tae-woo, were illegally obtained and should not be included in the asset calculation. The court awarded Roh one-third of the marital property, allowing Chey Tae-won to retain two-thirds to maintain his control over the conglomerate. While the AI boom has significantly increased the value of SK Group’s subsidiary, SK Hynix, the court chose to value the assets based on the 2024 hearing date rather than the 2026 valuation Roh Soh-yeong requested. Both parties may appeal the ruling.

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