South Korean Tycoon Chey Tae-won Ordered to Pay $644 Million in Divorce Settlement

Chey Tae-won Roh Soh-yeong SK Group divorce settlement 944 billion won

A Seoul high court ordered Chey Tae-won, chairman of the SK Group conglomerate, to pay his ex‑wife Roh Soh‑yeong 944 billion won (about US$644 million) in cash. The ruling, issued on 24 July 2026, reduces an earlier 2024 award of 1.38 trillion won. The court divided the couple’s marital assets, granting Roh one‑third and Chey two‑thirds, and required the payment in cash rather than a transfer of SK Group shares.

Roh Soh‑yeong is the daughter of former South Korean president Roh Tae‑woo. The case, widely dubbed the “divorce of the century,” has drawn intense public attention because Chey’s wealth stems from SK Group’s flagship semiconductor subsidiary SK Hynix, whose market value surpassed $1 trillion amid an AI boom. Analysts note that Chey may need to raise liquidity through cash reserves, loans, or the sale of assets and pledged shares to meet the settlement.

The decision follows a Supreme Court review that dismissed the inclusion of alleged slush‑fund contributions from Roh Tae‑woo in the asset pool. Chey’s legal team said they are reviewing the judgment and have not ruled out a further appeal.

Entities: Chey Tae-won · Roh Soh-yeong · Roh Tae-woo · SK Group · SK Hynix

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 10 SOURCES] SK Hynix’s market valuation exceeded $1 trillion amid the artificial‑intelligence boom. (market data)
[● 5 SOURCES] Chey may need to raise cash, take loans, or sell assets to meet the settlement. (analyst commentary)
[● 17 SOURCES] Chey Tae-won is the chairman of SK Group, which includes the semiconductor subsidiary SK Hynix. (company leadership)
[● 16 SOURCES] Roh Soh-yeong is the daughter of former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo. (biographical fact)
[● 17 SOURCES] The case has been widely dubbed the “divorce of the century.” (media label)
[● 17 SOURCES] The Seoul High Court ordered Chey Tae-won to pay Roh Soh-yeong 944 billion won (≈$644 million). (court order)
[● 17 SOURCES] The court divided the marital assets, awarding Roh one‑third and Chey two‑thirds. (court ruling)
[● 17 SOURCES] The amount is lower than the earlier 2024 award of 1.38 trillion won. (court decision comparison)