In a historic ruling that concludes a decade-long legal battle, a South Korean court has ordered SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won to pay 944.0 billion KRW (approximately $680 million) in cash as a property division settlement to his estranged wife, Art Center Nabi Director Roh Soh-yeong. The outcome marks the largest property division record in South Korean matrimonial legal history and has drawn extensive international media coverage, with outlets like The Wall Street Journal describing it as a "real-life K-drama involving power, money, betrayal, and romance."
Court Decision and Division Details
On July 24, 2026, the Family Division 1-2 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Lee Sang-joo) delivered the remanded trial verdict. The court ruled that Chairman Chey’s equity stake in SK Inc. constitutes marital property subject to division. The tribunal established a division ratio of two-thirds for Chey and one-third for Roh. To fulfill the required share of the assets, the court ordered Chey to transfer the deficit amount in cash.
The valuation of the shared SK shares was anchored to April 16, 2024, the date when the oral arguments were concluded in the second-instance trial. Addressing the substantial surge in SK’s stock price following that date, the court noted:
"Although the stock price rose significantly between the second-instance trial and this remanded proceeding, it cannot be said that Chairman Chey's managerial contributions played no role. Therefore, to ensure fair distribution of marital property, the stock price appreciation was taken into account when determining the final division ratio."
Furthermore, in accordance with the Supreme Court's guidelines issued in October 2025, the court rejected the claim that the late former President Roh Tae-woo’s 30 billion KRW slush fund transferred to SK in the 1990s counted toward Roh Soh-yeong's contribution. Shares gifted by Chey to relatives prior to the breakdown of the marriage as part of normal governance and business operations were also excluded from the split.
Timeline of a Nine-Year Legal Saga
The high-profile legal dispute began in 2017 when Chey filed for divorce mediation. Chey and Roh married in September 1988 at the Blue House during her father's presidency and have three children. However, the marriage publicly deteriorated in December 2015 when Chey disclosed his extramarital relationship and child in a letter to a newspaper.
December 2022 (First Instance): The court awarded Roh 66.5 billion KRW in property division and 100 million KRW in alimony, excluding SK shares from the division pool.
May 2024 (Second Instance): The appellate court drastically increased the payout to 1.38 trillion KRW in property division and 2.0 billion KRW in alimony, incorporating the SK stock holdings.
October 2025 (Supreme Court Ruling): The Supreme Court overturned part of the second-instance judgment, ruling that illicit political funds could not be legally recognized as marital asset contributions, remanding the property division back to the High Court while finalizing the 2.0 billion KRW alimony award.
Reactions and Future Outlook
Following the verdict, legal counsel for Chairman Chey released a statement expressing regret for the public concern caused throughout the protracted proceedings, adding that the legal team will review the detailed judgment before deciding whether to lodge a final appeal to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, representatives for Roh Soh-yeong departed the courthouse without offering comments to the press.
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