South Korean Tech Titan Faces $644 Million Divorce Settlement

A South Korean court has ordered SK Group chairman Chey Tae‑won to pay his ex‑wife 944 bn won (about $644 m) in a divorce settlement that has sparked headlines and headlines‑styled headlines like "divorce of the century." The decree still must be finalised but represents a dramatic drop from the 1.38 tn won originally imposed in 2024.

The case traces back more than a decade to Chey’s 35‑year marriage to Roh Soh‑yeong, daughter of former president Roh Tae‑woo. The earlier trial leaned on evidence that Chey received 30 bn won from a slush fund tied to Roh’s presidency, but the Supreme Court overturned that decision last year, deeming the funds illegal and excluding them from marital assets.

Beyond the estate dispute, SK Group’s prominence has risen with SK Hynix’s meteoric share of the AI chip boom. In May, the chipmaker topped $1 trillion on the Korean market, and its valuation has propelled the group to a second‑place status among Korean chaebols, after Samsung. SK’s flagship subsidiaries, from SK Telecom to its petrol stations, have become household names in Seoul and beyond.

The ruling draws attention to the entanglement of personal and corporate fortunes in modern chaebols. While the settlement will undeniably affect Chey’s personal wealth, it also casts a spotlight on corporate governance and transparency issues that resonate across South Korea’s industrial titans. The court’s verdict may shape how future large‑scale divorces and asset disputes are handled in the country’s business elite.