South Korea's Most Expensive Divorce: SK Chairman Chae Tae-won Appeals Again, Allegedly Over 'Sky-High Interest'

SK Group Chairman Chae Tae-won and his ex-wife, Roh Soo-young (daughter of former President Roh Tae-woo), are once again in the spotlight over their long-running, high-stakes divorce property division lawsuit. Dubbed the "century divorce" or South Korea's most expensive divorce case, the Supreme Court recently ruled that Chae must pay 9.44 trillion won (approximately 213.4 billion yen). In response, Chae's legal team has filed an appeal.

Chae's legal team submitted an appeal to the Seoul High Court Family Court on the 14th. The team stated, "Chae made this decision after careful consideration and will face the legal process with the least negative impact on shareholders and group management."

The lawsuit began in 2017, stemming from a political and business marriage that fell apart after Chae admitted to having an extramarital affair and a child in 2015. The divorce proceedings have dragged on for years.

In the first trial (December 2022), the court ordered Chae to pay 1 billion won and divide 665 billion won in assets. In the second trial (May 2024), the court recognized 300 billion won in "secret funds" from former President Roh Tae-woo that allegedly flowed into SK Group, increasing the property division amount to 1.38 trillion won. However, the Supreme Court ruled in October 2025 that these secret funds were illegal and should not be considered in the property division.

In the retrial (July 24, 2026), the court, following the Supreme Court's ruling, recalculated the relevant amounts but still included Chae's SK shares in the division, setting the property division amount at 9.44 trillion won (approximately 213.4 billion yen). This is the highest amount in South Korean chaebol divorce history, with the couple's shares set at a 2:1 ratio.

Experts believe that a complete reversal is unlikely, as the Supreme Court is a court of law, not fact. However, Chae's decision to appeal is seen as a strategy to delay the burden of high interest payments. If the retrial ruling is immediately enforceable, Chae would have to start paying 5% annual interest the day after the ruling, amounting to an additional 472 billion won (approximately 10.7 billion yen) per year, or 1.3 billion won (approximately 294 million yen) per day.

While this lawsuit does not affect SK Group's management rights, it poses a significant financial burden.