South Korea’s top court has ordered SK Group chairman Chey Tae‑won to pay his ex‑wife Roh Soh‑yeong 944 bn won (about $644 m). The judgment, announced after a decade of marriage ended by Chey’s affair, has been dubbed the "divorce of the century".
The award follows earlier rulings that set a 1.38tn won award and was later overturned by the Supreme Court, which ruled the slush funds were illegally obtained and could not be considered part of the couple’s assets.
Roh, the daughter of former president Roh Tae‑woo, and Chey had been married for 35 years and their case has captured national attention, reflecting SK Group’s status as the country’s second‑largest conglomerate and the growing prominence of its semiconductor arm, SK Hynix.
Chey’s lawyers have pledged to review the decision and respond, while the case underscores the intersection of personal law and corporate power in South Korea. The ruling comes as SK Group continues to thrive, with SK Hynix recently topping $1 trillion on the South Korean stock market and attracting global attention in the AI chip boom.
