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SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Art Center Nabi Director Roh Soh-yeong. (Photo: Yonhap News) |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] SEOUL, June 16 — Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, and Roh Soh-yeong, director of Art Center Nabi, failed to reach a settlement in the second mediation hearing of their remanded property division case, continuing their prolonged legal battle.
The Seoul High Court’s Family Division 1 on June 15 declared mediation unsuccessful shortly after the second session concluded. The attempt at settlement collapsed roughly two months after the court referred the case to mediation on April 17.
The court has scheduled a formal hearing for June 26, where both sides are expected to resume contentious legal arguments over asset division.
The panel had initially held the first hearing of the remanded trial on Jan. 9 before referring the case to mediation three months later. Two mediation sessions were subsequently held — on May 13 and June 15 — but the parties failed to narrow their differences.
Both Chey and Roh appeared in court, marking their first face-to-face encounter in approximately two years and two months since the final appellate hearing in April 2024. Roh had attended the first mediation session alone.
When asked about meeting Roh in court after more than two years, Chey told reporters, “I hope the mediation can be successfully concluded so the matter can be resolved quickly,” before entering the courtroom. Roh declined to comment on the likelihood of a settlement.
Neither party made additional remarks upon leaving the court.
The dispute centers on the scale, method, and criteria for asset division. Chey’s legal team argues that his holdings in SK shares constitute separate property formed through inheritance and gifts, and therefore should not be subject to division. In contrast, Roh’s side contends that the assets should be recognized as marital property, citing her contributions through childcare and domestic responsibilities in supporting Chey’s management activities.
Chey and Roh married in September 1988. Their legal dispute began in 2017 when Chey filed for divorce mediation, leading to a prolonged courtroom battle.
In the first trial in December 2022, the court ordered Chey to pay 100 million won in alimony and 66.5 billion won in asset division. In the appellate ruling in May 2024, the court increased the alimony to 2 billion won and ordered Chey to pay 1.3808 trillion won in asset division. The alimony ruling was finalized after the Supreme Court dismissed further appeals on that portion.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
