Chey Tae-won, left, chairman of SK Group, and his estranged wife Roh Soh-yeong attend a legal proceeding for their divorce trial at Seoul High Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on June 15.YONHAP
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won has appealed prosecutors’ decision not to indict a lawyer representing his estranged wife, Roh Soh-yeong, over a claim that Chey spent more than 100 billion won ($74 million) on his current partner.
Chey’s side said the figure cited by lawyer Lee Sang-won included money spent on Roh and the couple’s three children, as well as charitable contributions and donations. It argued that the figure was more than 50 times the amount Chey actually spent on living expenses with his current partner Kim Hee-young.
The dispute stems from comments Lee made in November 2023 during Roh’s damages lawsuit against Kim, when Lee claimed Chey had spent "more than 100 billion won on Kim since 2015." Chey filed a criminal complaint for defamation, but prosecutors declined to indict Lee after finding some basis for the claim and insufficient evidence from Chey’s side to disprove it.
Chey’s legal representatives said in a statement Tuesday that they had appealed prosecutors’ decision not to indict Lee for allegedly spreading false information.
“The amount Chairman Chey spent on living expenses with Kim was verified through an examination of financial transaction records and explained in detail to the court handling the division of marital assets,” Chey’s representatives said. “At the time the claim was made, the figure was about 2 billion won. Both Roh and Lee were aware of this.”
Chey’s side argued that Lee arrived at the 100 billion won figure by adding together payments from Chey’s accounts regardless of where the money actually went. The total even included money paid to Roh, according to Chey’s representative.
Chey’s representatives said the calculation also included 20.4 billion won spent from a KB Kookmin Bank account that was opened while Chey was in prison from 2013 to 2015. The SK chief’s representatives said the account had been opened for Roh and that she received a substantial portion of the money spent from it.
SK Group chief Chey Tae-won, right, and his partner Kim Hee-young attend the "One Planet, Building Bridges To A Better Future" Gala at Fondation Louis Vuitton on Oct. 14, 2023 in Paris.GETTY IMAGES
The figure also included charitable contributions and donations to organizations such as ChorogUsan for children, the Community Chest of Korea and the T&C Foundation — a nonprofit organization founded by Kim in 2017 — according to Chey’s side. The money funded humanitarian causes such as emergency relief, scholarships, education and welfare. Yet it was counted as money Chey had personally given to Kim, his representatives argued.
Chey’s representatives also challenged the inclusion of a home and artworks registered in Chey’s name. Roh’s side has claimed the assets are marital property in the couple’s divorce proceedings and sought a share of them, while also telling the media that Chey gave the same assets to Kim.
“The two [contradicting] claims cannot both be true,” Chey’s representatives said.
Chey’s representatives also pushed back against the interpretation of prosecutors’ decision not to indict Lee.
Now-SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, second from left, and then-wife Roh Soh-yeong, second from right, are seen during their wedding ceremony in 1988. Late-President Roh Tae-woo is seen far-right as a father to Roh Soh-yeong.JOONGANG ILBO
“The [prosecutors’] decision was based on insufficient evidence to prove that Lee knew the information was false,” Chey’s representatives said. “Nowhere in the decision did prosecutors conclude that the figures Lee circulated were accurate.”
Chey’s representatives said the nonindictment decision was being portrayed as confirmation that Lee’s claim was true. Chey therefore filed an appeal under the legally prescribed process to seek another review of the case.
Chey initiated divorce proceedings in 2017 after admitting two years earlier that he had an extramarital partner, Kim, and a child with her. Chey and Roh married in 1988 and have three children together.
In July, the Seoul High Court ordered Chey to pay 944 billion won in property division to Roh. Chey appealed the ruling in August.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
