Court orders SK chairman Chey to pay $644 mil. in asset division to ex-wife

An appellate court on Friday ordered SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won to pay 944 billion won ($644 million) in asset division to his former wife, Roh Soh-yeong, in a closely watched case stemming from their divorce.

The Seoul High Court handed down the verdict following the Supreme Court's decision in October to send the case back for review while finalizing the divorce and Chey's alimony payment of 2 billion won to Roh.

The amount in asset division was lower than the 1.38 trillion won that the court initially ordered Chey to pay in 2024.

The appellate court ruled Friday that SK Inc. shares owned by Chey should be included in the division, a key point of dispute between the two sides.

The court determined that Roh was entitled to one-third of the couple's property, while the rest belonged to Chey.

Chey's lawyers said they would consider whether to appeal after reviewing the verdict, adding that Chey was apologetic for causing concern over the case.

Roh's lawyers did not respond to reporters' questions about the ruling.

The ruling came nine years after Chey initiated divorce proceedings in 201 ...