A South Korean court has ordered tech billionaire Chey Tae-won to pay about $640 million in what local media have dubbed the country’s “divorce of the century.” The decision puts a huge financial figure on one of the most closely watched family and business disputes in South Korea.
The ruling comes roughly a decade after Chey first made public that he had an extramarital relationship. That disclosure turned a private marital dispute into a long-running public case, drawing intense attention because of his wealth, corporate role and influence in the country’s business world.
Chey is closely associated with SK Hynix, one of the best-known names in the global chip industry. As a result, the divorce battle has been followed not only as a personal legal case but also as a major story involving one of South Korea’s most prominent business figures.
The size of the court-ordered payment underscores how significant the case has become in South Korea. It also highlights how high-profile divorce disputes involving leading corporate families can attract national scrutiny when they intersect with money, status and major industrial groups.
