Seoul: SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and his former wife, Roh Soh-yeong, appeared before a court Monday to attend a mediation session in their high-profile divorce settlement case. The session is a significant step in the ongoing legal proceedings surrounding the division of their assets.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the two sides have entered mediation for the division of their assets after the Supreme Court remanded the case to the Seoul High Court last October, overturning the appellate court's asset division ruling while confirming the divorce. "I hope the mediation goes well and that it ends quickly," Chey told reporters upon his arrival at the Seoul High Court. Roh, the daughter of late former President Roh Tae-woo, entered the court without responding to questions from the press.
This session marks the first time the two have faced each other in court since April 2024. A key point of contention remains whether Chey's SK Inc. stocks should be included in the division. Chey's legal team argues that the stocks should not be considered as they were inherited or gifted, whereas Roh's side maintains they should be classified as marital property.
In May 2024, the Seoul High Court ordered Chey to pay approximately 1.38 trillion won (US$913 million) in asset division to Roh. This decision acknowledged a purported slush fund worth 30 billion won that Roh's father allegedly funneled to Chey's father. However, the Supreme Court ruled that even if the alleged fund had been funneled, it could not be factored into the asset division due to its apparent illegality.
Chey holds a 17.9 percent stake in SK Inc., which currently trades above 600,000 won per share, a significant increase compared to its price of 160,000 won on April 16, 2024, when oral arguments for the divorce suit concluded at the Seoul High Court.
The case initially dates back to 2015 when Chey announced his intention to divorce, admitting to having an extramarital affair and a child with his lover, and subsequently filed for a divorce settlement two years later. Chey and Roh were married in 1988 and have three children together.