Korean Court Cuts Billion-Dollar Divorce Award

Judge's gavel resting on wooden block — Photo: Billion Photos / Shutterstock

South Korea’s record divorce fight just got cut down, but the court still ordered SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won to pay his ex-wife 944 billion won, or about $644 million.

Quick Take

The Seoul High Court set the new payment at 944 billion won in a retrial of the case.
The court said Roh Soh-yeong’s recognized share was one-third of the marital assets.
The Supreme Court had earlier thrown out part of the larger 1.38 trillion won award and sent the case back.
Reports say the dispute now sits inside the wider AI boom around SK Hynix and SK Group wealth.

Court Reduces Record Award, But Keeps It Massive

The Seoul High Court on Friday ordered Chey to pay Roh 944 billion won in property division, far less than the earlier 1.38 trillion won award but still one of the largest divorce payouts ever reported in South Korea. The ruling came after the Supreme Court partially overturned the earlier judgment and sent the property division question back for review. The court kept a 2 billion won alimony award in place.

The new ruling did not end the fight over how to count the couple’s wealth. Reports say the appellate court accepted that Chey’s management role and Roh’s household, child-rearing, and public-facing work all played a part in building the marital estate. The court also said the sharp rise in the value of Chey’s holdings was considered when setting the final division ratio. That kept Roh’s share large, even after the cut.

AI Boom Adds New Fire To An Old Family Fight

The case has drawn extra attention because SK Hynix has benefited from demand tied to artificial intelligence chips. Reuters and other outlets reported that the broader market surge around SK-related holdings became part of the background to the retrial, even as the legal issue remained focused on marital property. That has turned a family-law dispute into a corporate and wealth story that reaches far beyond one marriage.

The earlier 2024 ruling had treated Chey’s SK Inc. stake as marital property and accepted a much larger award. But the Supreme Court said the lower court had erred in how it counted money tied to Roh’s father, former President Roh Tae-woo, and sent the case back for recalculation. That reversal weakened the broadest version of Roh’s claim, even though the courts still recognized a major payout.

What The Case Means For SK Control

Media coverage has also focused on how Chey might fund the payment without losing control of SK Group. That matters because his stake sits at the center of the company’s governance and the court fight has raised fresh questions about control, borrowing, and possible asset sales. For readers concerned about family wealth, ownership rights, and corporate power, the case shows how one divorce can shake a major conglomerate.

$SKYH A Seoul court ordered SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won to pay his ex-wife Roh Soh-yeong a record $944 billion ($645 million USD) in their divorce, valuing his stake in SK Inc. (034730.KS) using its April 2024 price rather than the much higher 2026 level after the AI boom.… pic.twitter.com/ENesQw4OaT

— Canadian Jennifer 🇨🇦 (@cdntradegrljenn) July 28, 2026

The record now shows a long legal path, not a clean finish. The first trial, the appeal, the Supreme Court review, and the retrial each changed the numbers and the reasoning. What has stayed constant is the scale: a marriage, a corporate empire, and a court battle over who helped build the fortune. The current ruling gives Roh a huge award, but the case’s history leaves room for more legal movement.