A South Korean Supreme Court has ordered SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won to pay approximately £483 million to his ex-wife, Roh Soh-yeong.. The ruling follows a lengthy five-year legal battle over assets that swelled alongside the global artificial intelligence boom.
The SK Hynix boom and the NVIDIA connection
The massive scale of the settlement is inextricably linked to the global semiconductor race and the rise of generative AI.. As the source reports, the value of SK Group has trebled since 2015, largely driven by its subsidiary SK Hynix. These memory chips are essential components for the AI hardware produced by NVIDIA, meaning the marital estate grew in lockstep with the artificial intelligence revolution.
The legal crux of the dispute involved wehther the explosion in SK Group's value should be classified as marital property. The courts ultimately determined that the marriage and Chey's connection to the South Korean presidential family provided significant advantages that helped drive the conglomerate's growth. This decision effectively ties the personal wealth of the SK Group chairman to the global demand for AI-enabling technology .
By recognizing these factors, the court has acknowledged that the rapid appreciation of SK Group's shares—a key part of the marital estate—was not just a matter of individual business acumen but was bolstered by the couple's social and political standing.
A reduction from the £700 million appellate award
While the £483 million figure is historic, it marks a downward shift from previous legal milestones. According to the report, a 2024 appellate decision had originally demanded a payout of £700 million. This Supreme Court ruling represents a reduction from that earlier figure, though it remains one of the largest divorce settlements in South Korean history.
From the Seoul presidential palace to a five-year legal battle
The personal history of the couple adds a layer of political significance to the financial dispute. Chey Tae-won and Roh Soh-yeong, both now aged 65, married in 1988 at Seoul's presidential palace. This union connected the SK Group chairman to the family of the late President Roh Tae-woo, who served as South Korea's leader from 1988 to 1993.
The marriage, which produced three children, began to unravel in 2015 after Chey publicly admitted to fathering a child with another woman. This admission led Roh Soh-yeong to file for divorce in 2018, initiating a complex legal struggle that has captured national attention in South Korea.
Will the parties appeal the Supreme Court's decision?
Despite this Supreme Court decision, the final financial outcome remains uncertain. The source notes that both Chey and Roh retain the right to appeal the latest award. This leaves open the question of whether the parties will challenge the current one-third division of marital wealth or if the legal saga will finlly conclude at this level.
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