South Korea's 'Divorce of the Century' Payout Reduced to $644 Million

A South Korean courtroom rewrote the numbers behind what has long been called the “divorce of the century,” shaving hundreds of millions off one of the world’s biggest divorce payouts, but still leaving a staggering bill. On Friday, the Seoul High Court reduced the divorce settlement that SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won must pay his former wife Roh Soh-yeong to 944 billion won ($644 million). This is down from the earlier 1.38 trillion won (about $940 million) awarded in 2024. The case, already dubbed the “divorce of the century” by local media, had drawn global attention for crossing the $1 billion mark at one point. The revised ruling is not final. Either side can still appeal to the Supreme Court. The revision was based on a key legal shift. The earlier judgment had counted a 30 billion won slush fund linked to Roh’s father, former president Roh Tae-woo, as part of her contribution to the couple’s wealth. But the Supreme Court overturned that logic, stating the funds were likely derived from illegal bribes and therefore could not be included in marital assets. Even after the cut, the numbers remain massive. The court ruled that Roh is entitled to a cash payout equal to one-third of the couple’s marital assets, recognising both financial and non-financial contributions. “The defendant’s shareholdings increased substantially during the marriage through his management activities,” the court said. “The plaintiff contributed to that increase through homemaking, childcare and public-facing activities related to SK Group.” As reported by Financial Times, Chey, 65, heads SK Group, whose key unit SK hynix has seen explosive growth due to demand from AI companies like Nvidia. His stake in the group is now worth around $5.5 billion, with share values more than tripling since 2015, when he publicly admitted to having a child with another woman. The court said it took this sharp rise in value into account while deciding how to split the assets. Chey and Roh married in 1988 at the presidential Blue House and have three children. Though they lived apart for years, the legal battle formally began after Chey filed for divorce in 2017. The dispute has been in court since 2022. Separately, the Supreme Court has already ordered Chey to pay Roh 2 billion won in alimony. What remains now is whether the fight, like the fortune at its centre, will grow again if either side decides to appeal.