SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won ordered to pay $6.4 bn in divorce settlement

South Korea’s Seoul High Court ruled that SK Group Chairman Chey Tae‑won must pay his former wife Roh Soh‑yeong 9.44 trillion won (about US$6.4 billion) as part of the nation’s largest divorce settlement. The decision follows a series of appeals dating back to 2015, when Chey publicly admitted an extramarital affair and a child outside his marriage to Roh, the daughter of former President Roh Tae‑woo. The court affirmed that shares of SK Group’s holding company are joint marital assets and set the division ratio at two‑thirds for Chey and one‑third for Roh, using the share price as of 16 April 2024 for valuation. A 300‑billion‑won slush‑fund allegedly linked to Roh’s father was excluded from the asset‑division calculation. Earlier awards had been higher (up to 1.38 trillion won) but were partially overturned by the Supreme Court. The case, dubbed the “century divorce,” has drawn intense public and market attention as SK Hynix’s AI‑driven stock surge dramatically increased Chey’s net worth.