A South Korean appeals court has sharply raised the financial outcome in the divorce case involving SK Chairman Chey Tae-won and Roh Soh-yeong, ordering a payout reported at about $645 million. The decision recalculates the couple’s marital assets and marks a major turn in one of the country’s most closely followed divorce battles.
The dispute has stretched on for nearly a decade. Chey and Roh married in 1988, and the legal fight began after Chey disclosed in 2015 that he wanted a divorce and had fathered a child with another woman.
Roh, described in reports as an art museum leader, has been at the center of the long-running case as both sides argued over how their shared assets should be valued. The latest ruling focuses on that calculation, significantly increasing the amount tied to the split.
Because Chey leads one of South Korea’s best-known business groups, the case has drawn public attention far beyond a typical family law dispute. The new judgment appears to bring the so-called divorce of the century to a new stage, with the financial stakes now set at one of the largest amounts reported in such a case.
