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Supreme Court overturns part of SK Group chairman's divorce ruling

Published: 16 Oct. 2025, 10:35 Updated: 16 Oct. 2025, 13:56

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, left, and Roh Soh-yeong, his estranged wife and daughter of former President Roh Tae-woo, arrive at the Seoul High Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on April 16, 2024 for an appeals hearing in their divorce case. [YONHAP]

The Supreme Court on Thursday overturned part of a lower court ruling in the high-profile divorce between SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Roh So-yeong, director of the Art Center Nabi.

The case will now return to the Seoul High Court for reconsideration, particularly over the division of assets.

The First Division of the Supreme Court, presided over by Justice Seo Kyeong-hwan, nullified the appellate court’s decision on the division of property.

In the previous ruling, the appeals court ordered Choi to pay Roh 1.38 trillion won ($972 million) — 35 percent of the couple’s total assets, estimated at 4 trillion won. The ruling also included 2 billion won in alimony.

The lower court had accepted Roh’s claim that about 30 billion won in slush funds from her father, former President Roh Tae-woo, had been given to SK founder Chey Jong-hyon — and counted it as part of her contribution to the growth of SK Group.

However, the Supreme Court rejected that reasoning.

“Even if Roh Tae-woo had given 30 billion won to Chey Tae-won's father, Chey Jong-hyon, in 1991 as a financial provision, as the prior court acknowledged, we can assume that the money consisted of bribes that Roh Tae-woo received during his presidency,” the court said. “Since such conduct is not legally protected, it cannot be considered a contribution by the defendant when determining the division of property.”

Even if the funds ultimately benefited SK Group and contributed to the rise in the company’s share value, the court ruled that illegal money cannot be recognized in a divorce settlement. As a result, the 1.38 trillion won asset division is expected to be significantly reduced on retrial.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM CHUL-WOONG [[email protected]]