A South Korean court on Friday ordered SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won to pay his former wife Roh So-yeong 944 billion won (approximately $644 million) in a property-division ruling that would stand as the country’s most expensive divorce settlement if finalised.
The Seoul High Court’s decision came months after the Supreme Court sent the case back to the appellate court for further review. The latest award is notably lower than the 1.38 trillion won (approximately $940 million) figure ordered by the high court last year, a sum that had drawn scrutiny over Chey’s stake in the conglomerate’s holding company.
Chey, one of South Korea’s most prominent business leaders, is estimated to be worth about $5.6 billion. The value of his assets has climbed in recent months as shares of semiconductor affiliate SK Hynix surged amid the global artificial intelligence boom.
The dispute has captivated South Korea, where national media have dubbed it the “divorce of the century.” Roh is the daughter of former President Roh Tae-woo and serves as director of a Seoul art museum.
Central to the earlier, larger award was the high court’s finding that Roh’s father had provided SK with 30 billion won (approximately $20.4 million) in alleged slush funds during his presidency. The Supreme Court, however, ruled that those funds could not be recognised as a legal contribution to the company’s growth, prompting the revised calculation.
Chey and Roh married in 1988 and have three children. Chey filed for divorce in 2017 after revealing that he was in a relationship with another woman with whom he had a child. He was also previously ordered to pay 2 billion won (approximately $1.3 million) in alimony.
The outcome carries weight beyond the couple’s personal fortunes, given SK’s central role in South Korea’s technology sector. The conglomerate’s chip-making arm has been at the centre of the AI-driven memory boom, and has faced its own legal pressures abroad, including a recent U.S. patent probe into high bandwidth memory.
Roh did not attend Friday’s ruling. The case can be sent back to the Supreme Court if either party files an appeal, leaving the record settlement subject to further legal challenge.
Chey is among the South Korean business figures who have joined President Lee Jae Myung on recent visits to the United States, underscoring his continued prominence in the country’s corporate landscape even as the protracted divorce proceedings continue.