Why did Chey Tae-won narrow his appeal in the SK divorce property division case?

His legal team said it chose to accept 700 billion won for the greater cause of bringing the prolonged legal battle to a prompt resolution. The remaining 244 billion won is still being contested because of legal interpretation issues.

What parts of the 944 billion won ruling is Chey Tae-won still disputing?

The appeal is expected to focus on whether SK Group shares should be included in the marital property and whether the division ratio and amount were calculated with legal errors. Those issues are being limited to the remaining 244 billion won portion.

How has the SK chairman divorce case developed since the earlier court rulings?

The Seoul High Court ordered 1.38 trillion won in 2024, the Supreme Court sent the case back for retrial in 2025, and the retrial order on July 24 set the division at 944 billion won in cash. Chey then appealed that ruling last month before narrowing the appeal this week.

SK chairman agrees to pay $524.3 mil. in property division in divorce case

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Summary

SK Chairman Chey Tae-won agreed to pay 700 billion won in property division and will contest only the remaining 244 billion won in his divorce case. His legal team filed to narrow the scope of the appeal with the Seoul High Court on Aug. 31. The renewed appeal will focus on whether SK Group shares should be included as marital property and whether the division ratio and amount were legally calculated correctly. The case has moved through a 2024 high court ruling, a 2025 Supreme Court remand, and a July 24 retrial order for 944 billion won in cash.

Key Facts

Chey Tae-won’s legal representatives filed an application with the Seoul High Court on Aug. 31 to amend the scope of his appeal.
The filing said he would accept 700 billion won for a prompt resolution and contest only 244 billion won.
The renewed appeal will examine whether Chey’s SK Group shares should be included in marital property subject to division.
The divorce and property division dispute has been ongoing since 2017.
In a retrial on July 24, the Seoul High Court ordered Chey to pay Roh Soh-yeong 944 billion won in cash.

By Nam Hyun-woo

Published Sep 9, 2026 4:50 pm KST
Updated Sep 9, 2026 6:02 pm KST

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, left, and his former wife, Art Center Nabi Director Roh Soh-yeong / Yonhap

SK Chairman Chey Tae-won, who appealed a high court retrial ruling ordering him to pay 944 billion won ($706.6 million) in property division to his ex-wife, agreed to pay the 700 billion won ($524.3 million) portion of the ruling and filed to contest only the remaining 244 billion won in the appeal.

According to sources on Wednesday, Chey’s legal representatives filed an application with the Seoul High Court on Aug. 31 to amend the scope of his appeal.

In the filing, Chey’s side reduced the scope of the appeal to 244 billion won, saying it decided to accept 700 billion won “for the greater cause of bringing the prolonged legal battle to a prompt resolution.” It continued that the remaining amount has issues in legal interpretation that should still be contested.

The renewed appeal is expected to focus on whether Chey’s SK Group shares should be included in the marital property subject to division and whether there were legal errors in how the division ratio and amount were calculated. The Supreme Court will look into these factors within the scope of the 244 billion won,

Since 2017, Chey has been locked in a legal battle with his former wife, Art Center Nabi Director Roh Soh-yeong, over their divorce and property division. In 2024, the Seoul High Court ordered the property division at 1.38 trillion won, but the Supreme Court in 2025 sent the case back to the high court for a retrial.

In a retrial on July 24, the high court ordered Chey to pay Roh 944 billion won in cash, which he appealed last month.

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