A South Korean court on July 24 ordered the AI chip tycoon to pay a divorce fee of 644 million USD (equivalent to nearly 17,000 billion VND) to his ex-wife.
Mr. Chey Tae-won, 65 years old, is Chairman of SK Group, the unit that owns SK hynix, the world's leading memory chip manufacturer and the pillar of the technology-led economy of South Korea.
The Seoul High Court in 2024 once asked him to pay 1,380 billion won (940 million USD - nearly 25,000 billion VND) to his ex-wife Roh Soh-yeong, daughter of a former South Korean President. This figure, equivalent to more than 1 billion USD at the time of the verdict, made domestic media call this a "divorce of the century".
Mr. Chey appealed to the Supreme Court, requesting a review of the 2024 decision, leading to a reduced divorce fee to 944 billion won (644 million USD) for this businessman. However, this agreement is not yet the final decision, as one of the two parties can still bring the case back to the Supreme Court.
This serious case revolves around the definition and valuation of the couple's common assets, including Chey's profitable shares in SK Group. Seoul's Supreme Court ruled on July 24 that Ms. Roh has the right to receive a cash payment equivalent to 1/3 of the couple's marriage assets.
The defendant's shares increased significantly during the marriage through his management activities. The plaintiff contributed to that increase through housework, childcare and foreign affairs related to SK Group," the court said.
Mr. Chey and Ms. Roh married in 1988, but the couple is said to have lived separately for more than 15 years. In 2015, he admitted to having a child with his lover. With SK hynix selling essential memory chips to the AI computing company Nvidia, Mr. Chey's shares are currently worth about 5.5 billion USD, according to legal records and public data. Ms. Roh, 65 years old, has 3 children with Mr. Chey and has built a career in the field of culture, running a digital art museum.
The couple married at the Blue House, Presidential Palace in Seoul, when her father, Mr. Roh Tae-woo, led the country from 1988 to 1993. They have been arguing for divorce in court since 2022, after Mr. Chey filed for divorce in 2017 and the reconciliation process failed.
The Supreme Court previously also separately requested Mr. Chey to pay a pension of 2 billion won to Ms. Roh.
