SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Ex-Wife Roh Soh-yeong Attend Divorce Mediation

SEOUL, June 15 (Yonhap) -- SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and his former wife, Roh Soh-yeong, appeared before a court Monday to attend a mediation session in their high-profile divorce settlement case.

The two sides have entered mediation for the division of their assets after the Supreme Court remanded the case to the Seoul High Court last October, overturning the appellate court's asset division ruling while confirming the divorce.

"(I) hope the mediation goes well and that it ends quickly," Chey told reporters as he arrived at the Seoul High Court.

Roh, the daughter of late former President Roh Tae-woo, entered the court without responding to reporters' questions.

It marked the first time the two have faced each other in court since April 2024.

The two sides are likely to clash on whether Chey's SK Inc. stocks should be included in the division, following last month's first session at the Seoul High Court.

Chey's side has argued that the stocks should not be considered as they were inherited or gifted, while Roh's side has claimed that they fall under marital property.

In May 2024, the Seoul High Court ordered Chey to pay about 1.38 trillion won (US$913 million) in asset division to Roh, acknowledging a purported slush fund worth 30 billion won that Roh's father allegedly funneled to Chey's father.

The Supreme Court, however, ruled that even if the alleged fund had been funneled, it could not be considered in the asset division as it appeared to be illegal.

Chey holds a 17.9 percent stake in SK Inc., which currently trades at above 600,000 won per share, compared with its price of 160,000 won on April 16, 2024, when oral arguments for the divorce suit ended at the Seoul High Court.

The case dates back to 2015, when Chey announced a divorce plan, admitting to having an extramarital lover and a child with her, and filed for a divorce settlement two years later.

Chey and Roh married in 1988 and have three children.