Tech titan ordered to pay ex-wife $644m in divorce settlement
A South Korean court has ordered Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, to pay his former wife Roh Soh-yeong 944bn won (£483m; $644m) in a divorce settlement. The high-profile case matters because SK Group is one of South Korea’s most important family-controlled conglomerates, with its chip business playing a prominent role in the global AI boom.
The revised award is lower than the 1.38tn won ordered in 2024, after the Supreme Court ruled that allegedly illegal funds linked to Roh’s late father, former president Roh Tae-woo, could not be included among the couple’s assets. Chey and Roh were married for 35 years, and their relationship broke down after it emerged that he had fathered a child with another woman; the ruling still requires finalisation. SK Group owns SK Hynix, a major Nvidia chip supplier, while the wider group recently raised $26.5bn through a New York share offering.
In short
- SK chairman ordered to pay ex-wife $644m
- Award reduced after Supreme Court intervention
- Case highlights SK Group’s economic importance
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
After 35 years of marriage, the ex-wife has a substantial equitable claim to family assets; spousal support law appropriately recognises that non-titled partners enable business success through household contribution. The court's careful application of law, excluding allegedly illegal assets, shows such awards reflect genuine principle rather than arbitrariness. Her settlement justly reflects both her long investment in the marriage and the harm caused by Chey's infidelity.
The case against
Whilst spousal support after long marriage is justified, a settlement of this magnitude threatens a company employing thousands and integral to global supply chains, raising questions about whether awards have become punitive rather than compensatory. Legal disputes over asset valuation suggest the framework itself is unclear, and extraordinarily large settlements may create perverse incentives in future cases. Business continuity deserves consideration alongside individual fairness when company stability affects employees and shareholders worldwide.
Explained simply
Chey Tae-won is chairman of SK Group, one of South Korea's largest companies. SK Group is important because SK Hynix, one of its major divisions, is a leading global supplier of computer chips used in artificial intelligence.
Chey married Roh Soh-yeong 35 years ago, but their relationship ended after he fathered a child with another woman. A South Korean court has ordered him to pay her a settlement, though the ruling still requires legal finalisation.
The settlement amount was reduced from an earlier court decision after South Korea's Supreme Court ruled that certain funds linked to Roh's late father, former president Roh Tae-woo, could not be counted as shared marital assets.