SK chief eager to put scandal behind him
By Lee Hyo-sik
Chey Tae-won SK Group Chairman
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won appears to be doing everything he can to put an extramarital scandal behind him as Korea’s third-largest conglomerate struggles to ride out the prolonged economic downturn.
Since the scandal broke in late December, he hasn’t come to the office at the group headquarters in downtown Seoul. Instead, he has been performing his duties at undisclosed locations in a bid to evade the public eye.
According to SK Group, Wednesday, Chey has resumed his rigorous “field management,” visiting group affiliates and business partners across the country.
Following his release from jail on a presidential pardon last August, the chairman was on the road the whole time in a bid to quickly retake control of the group centering on semiconductors, energy and telecommunications.
The chairman also plans to attend the Davos forum in Switzerland next week in order to meet policymakers and business leaders from all over the world.
“It is not the first time for the chairman to take care of business somewhere else. He doesn’t have to be at the group headquarters to perform his duties,” said an SK Group official. “Chey has been keeping himself busy, hosting a series of meetings with group executives and business partners. He is also spending a lot of time checking on affiliates in provincial areas.”
The chairman has refrained from making public appearances since Dec. 29 when he revealed he had been having an extramarital affair and had fathered a daughter out of wedlock. He also said he wants to divorce his wife, Roh So-young, the daughter of former President Roh Tae-woo, citing irreconcilable differences.
On Jan. 4, Chey unexpectedly attended a group ceremony marking the start of the year at the Sheraton Walkerhill Hotel in eastern Seoul. At the time, the chairman vowed not to let his personal life distract him from managing the group.
Other than this, he has not appeared at any high-profile events over the past three weeks, including a New Year’s greeting hosted by President Park Geun-hye on Jan. 6.
However, the SK chief intends to be highly visible by flying to Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum at Davos on Jan. 19-23.
“As far as I know, Chey will go to the forum to boost ties with business leaders and other opinion leaders from across the globe. He will also play an important role at a ‘Korea Night’ event,” the official said “But here in the country, he will likely continue to stay away from the public spotlight for the foreseeable future.”