Roh Soh-yeong, director of Art Center Nabi, whose divorce from SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won has been finalized, was found to have been in arrears on nearly 2 billion won in rent while living for nine years at the Emerald Villa in the Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul. Roh said on her social media (SNS) the previous day that she was moving.
SK Networks, which operates the Walkerhill Hotel, sent multiple content-certified letters to Roh starting last year demanding payment of overdue rent or execution of a contract. Roh was said to have shown little response. If SK Networks does not collect the lodging fees, management could be subject to breach of trust charges.
According to the business community on the 7th, Roh wrote the previous day, "I am leaving the house I moved into when I married 37 years ago," posting it with photos of the home. Roh is currently living in the Emerald Villa located inside the Walkerhill Hotel, which is taken to mean she is leaving this place.
Although Roh said it was "the house I moved into when I married 37 years ago," she is said to have moved into this villa in 2016 and lived there for about nine years. After marrying Chairman Chey, Roh moved among Nonhyeon-dong, Apgujeong-dong, and Pyeongchang-dong in Seoul.
Roh currently owns a detached house with a land area of 430 square meters (about 130 pyeong) in Hannam-dong, Seoul. A famous wedding studio is currently renting and using it, and nearby market rates put the monthly rent at around 20 million won.
Walkerhill Hotel operates about 10 ultra-luxury villas named ▲ Pearl ▲ Jade ▲ Sapphire ▲ Emerald for VIP long-term stays. The Emerald Villa where Roh lives is the largest at 1,505 square meters (about 455 pyeong). The monthly lodging fee is 70 million won, or about 2.3 million won per day. Villas are typically contracted on a yearly basis.
Roh is said to have stayed at the Emerald Villa for about 10 years without paying nearly 2 billion won in lodging fees. Given the length of stay, the unpaid lodging fees are close to 10 billion won, but a significant portion is said to have been covered personally by Chairman Chey. Walkerhill has been unable to take legal action out of concern that enforcing a forced eviction against a VIP customer could harm its reputation.
The Emerald Villa is said to have a duplex floor-to-ceiling window design with views of the Han River in front and a forest behind. The villa is not visible from other buildings, and professional security guards are stationed at all entrances 24 hours a day. Turndown service—tidying the room and replacing amenities in the afternoon or evening—is provided frequently every day, and there is also a gardener in charge of landscaping.
Art Center Nabi, which Roh runs, also stirred controversy by using the fourth floor of the SK Seorin Building for five years without authorization. Art Center Nabi moved into the fourth floor of the Seorin Building in Dec. 2000. SK Innovation, which manages the Seorin Building, requested Art Center Nabi to vacate in Sep. 2019 on the grounds that the lease had ended.
But Art Center Nabi did not leave, and eviction was finalized through a lawsuit in Jun. 2024. Art Center Nabi has now set up a new office in a Seochon building owned by the corporation.
Art Center Nabi occupied the SK Telecom-owned SKT UX·HCI LAB in Jangchung-dong, Seoul, under the name "Tajak Madang." The building is known to be worth 10 billion won. Roh is said to have used the site for more than 10 years without signing a contract or paying rent.
The First Petty Bench of the Supreme Court (presiding Justice Seo Kyung-hwan) on the 16th of last month finalized parts of the lower court ruling in the final appeal of the divorce suit between Chairman Chey and Roh, except for Roh's claim for property division. As a result, the divorce was finalized 10 years after the conflict erupted in 2015. The property division portion was remanded to the Seoul High Court for retrial.