Why did SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won appeal the decision not to indict Roh Soh-yeong’s lawyer?

He appealed after prosecutors declined to indict the lawyer for defamation. Chey had accused the lawyer of spreading false information about Kim Hee-young during the divorce lawsuit.

How did Chey Tae-won’s legal team dispute the 100 billion won claim in the divorce case?

They said the amount was inflated by more than 50-fold. Their statement said it mixed in money paid to Roh, donations, unrelated spending, and the value of Chey’s house and artworks.

What amount did the court order Chey Tae-won to pay in the property division, and how much did he accept?

The court ordered 944 billion won in property division for Roh Soh-yeong. Chey recently accepted 700 billion won of that amount.

SK chief Chey appeals prosecution's decision not to indict ex-wife's lawyer

Listen

Summary

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won on Tuesday appealed the prosecution’s decision not to indict a lawyer for his former wife Roh Soh-yeong over alleged defamation in the divorce dispute. Chey’s side said the 100 billion won claim about spending on his live-in partner was inflated more than 50-fold. The statement said the amount actually spent on living expenses was about 2 billion won and that the court had been fully briefed on the property division case. It also said the disputed figure included money spent on Roh and the couple’s three children, donations, and the value of Chey’s house and artworks.

Key Facts

Chey filed the complaint against Roh Soh-yeong’s lawyer in November 2023 over alleged false claims about Kim Hee-young.
The lawyer’s identity was withheld in the report.
Chey’s side said the 2 billion won living-expense figure was verified through financial transaction records.
Chey recently accepted 700 billion won of the 944 billion won property division ordered by the court for Roh.
The disputed 100 billion won amount was said to include public-interest contributions, donations to ChildFund Korea, Chey’s house, and artworks.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 15, 2026 11:20 am KST

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, left, and his former wife, Roh Soh-yeong, June 26 / Yonhap

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won on Tuesday appealed the prosecution's decision not to indict a lawyer representing his former wife over claims that Chey spent more than 100 billion won ($74.2 million) on his live-in partner.

Chey had filed a complaint against his former wife Roh Soh-yeong's lawyer, whose identity was withheld, accusing him of defamation for allegedly spreading false information about Kim Hee-young, the SK chairman's partner, during their divorce lawsuit in November 2023.

Chey's legal representatives issued a statement following the prosecution's decision not to indict the lawyer last week, saying the amount claimed had been inflated by more than 50-fold because it included money paid to Roh and charitable donations.

The statement said the total amount Chey and Kim spent on living expenses was approximately 2 billion won at the time the claim was made, which was verified through an examination of financial transaction records and fully explained to a court handling the property division between Chey and Roh.

The 100 billion won figure cited by Roh's lawyer included not only expenditures for unrelated purposes but also money spent on Roh herself and their three children, it said.

The statement also noted that public-interest contributions and donations to organizations such as the ChildFund Korea, as well as the value of Chey's house and artworks, were included in the amount cited by Roh's lawyer.

Chey, who finalized his divorce from Roh, recently accepted 700 billion won of the 944 billion-won property division ordered by the court for his former wife.

Explore More