The conclusion of what local media has termed the divorce of the decade brings a definitive end to court proceedings that have captured intense public attention across South Korea since 2017. The protracted legal battle began after it was publicly revealed that Chey Tae-won maintained an extramarital relationship with another woman, with whom he also had a child, according to reporting published by Expressen.
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won Ordered to Pay 944 Billion Won in Divorce
Financial Impact on SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won
Chey Tae-won, who serves as the chairman of South Korean conglomerate SK Group and ranks among the nation’s wealthiest individuals, faced a staggering final court-ordered payout. SK Group operates as one of the country’s prominent “chaebols”—family-owned business conglomerates—holding a position as the second-largest corporate group in South Korea immediately behind Samsung, while ranking ahead of competitors such as Hyundai and LG. The industrial giant conducts extensive business operations, including supplying semiconductors to chipmaker Nvidia.
Public Repercussions and Roh Soh-yeong Connection
The high-stakes legal separation deeply resonated throughout South Korean society due to the prominent background of both individuals. Chey Tae-won’s ex-wife is Roh Soh-yeong, the daughter of a former South Korean president, making the couple among the most widely recognized figures in the country. The scale of the legal dispute and the political lineage involved fueled widespread domestic media coverage that labeled the case the divorce of the decade.
