SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won has been ordered to pay his former wife, Roh Soh-yeong, 944 billion won (about PHP39.73 billion) following the latest ruling in South Korea's long-running "divorce of the century" case.
The Seoul High Court handed down the decision on Friday, July 24, 2026, reducing the amount from the 1.38 trillion won awarded in a previous ruling in 2024.
Chey, 65, heads SK Group, one of South Korea’s largest conglomerates, with businesses spanning semiconductors, telecommunications, energy, and chemicals. The group is also the parent company of SK hynix, one of the world’s leading memory chip manufacturers.
Roh, also 65, is the director of Seoul-based Art Center Nabi and the daughter of former South Korean president Roh Tae-woo.
Reports from The Korea Times and Yonhap News Agency said the court ruled that Chey's shares in SK Inc. should be included in the division of marital assets.
However, instead of transferring shares, the court ordered Chey to compensate Roh with a cash payment.
The court found that Roh was entitled to one-third of the couple's shared assets after taking into account the contributions both parties made during their marriage.
It noted that while Chey helped grow the business, Roh's role in raising their children, managing the household, and participating in public activities related to SK Group also contributed to the family's wealth.
According to Ko Dong-hwan's report for The Korea Times, the court used the couple's assets as of April 2024 as the basis for its computation.
The court acknowledged the significant increase in SK Inc.'s share price since then, reportedly saying: "Although SK's share price rose significantly between the close of arguments in the appellate trial and that of the remanded trial, it cannot be said that Chey's managerial contributions had no impact."
However, it added that "to ensure an equitable division of marital property, the substantial increase in the share price was taken into account when determining the asset division ratio."
Chae Yun-hwan of Yonhap News Agency reported that the Seoul High Court issued the verdict after the Supreme Court, in October 2025, sent the property division case back for review while upholding the couple’s divorce and Chey’s alimony payment of KRW 2 billion (PHP84.5 million).
Chey's lawyers said they will review the court's decision before deciding whether to file another appeal.
Chey and Roh were married in 1988 and have three children. Their marriage became a public controversy in 2015 after Chey admitted he was in a relationship with another woman and had a child with her. He later filed for divorce in 2017.
Dubbed South Korea's "divorce of the century," the case has drawn widespread attention because of the enormous amount of money involved and Chey's position as one of the country's most powerful business leaders.
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