Full Breakdown
Chey Tae-won Ordered to Pay $644 Million in Landmark Divorce Settlement
7/24/2026, 8:22:01 PM
Core Event – Court Reduces Divorce Payout to 944 billion won
On Friday, the Seoul High Court ordered SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won to pay his former wife Roh Soh-yeong a cash settlement of 944 billion won (about $644 million). The judgment awards Roh one-third of the couple’s marital assets, lower than the 1.38 trillion won she sought and lower than the $945 million awarded by a lower court in 2024. The ruling finalizes the portion of the dispute that concerns the valuation of Chey’s holdings in SK Group and its flagship semiconductor subsidiary SK Hynix.
Background & Context – A marriage that united business and politics
Chey, 65, chairs SK Group, South Korea’s second-largest chaebol, and leads memory-chip maker SK Hynix. Roh, also 65, is the daughter of former President Roh Tae-woo. The couple married in 1988 at the Blue House, a union that linked a major business empire with a political dynasty.
In 2015 Chey disclosed in a three-page letter that he had fathered a child with another woman, Kim Hee-young (English name Chloe). The admission triggered divorce proceedings that have spanned more than a decade, intertwining personal grievances with disputes over the SK empire’s assets.
Timeline
- 1988 – Marriage at the Blue House.
- 2015 – Chey’s public letter admits an extramarital affair, prompting formal divorce filings.
- 2024 – Lower court orders Chey to pay Roh 1.38 trillion won.
- October 2024 – Supreme Court overturns that ruling, rejecting the claim that Roh’s father’s alleged 30 billion-won contribution should count toward the settlement.
- July 2026 – Seoul High Court issues the final 944 billion-won cash award.
Data & Statistics
- Settlement amount: 944 billion won (? $644 million).
- Chey’s net worth before the ruling: roughly $5 billion.
- SK Hynix valuation: surpassed $1 trillion in May 2026, driven by AI-computing memory chips.
- Share price growth: SK Hynix shares have more than tripled since December 2015.
- Cash vs. share payout: The court required cash to preserve Chey’s voting control of SK Group.
Official Statements & Responses
- Presidential comment: President Lee Jae Myung praised Chey as a “national hero” during the unveiling of a major AI investment plan, reflecting the chairman’s elevated status despite the personal dispute.
What’s Next – Potential Supreme Court appeal
Both parties retain the right to file a final appeal with the South Korean Supreme Court within one week of the July 2026 ruling. The outcome will determine whether the 944 billion-won cash award becomes final and whether the asset-valuation methodology will be affirmed for future high-tech divorce cases.
