The divorce suit of Kwon Hyuk-bin, chair of Hope Studio and founder of the Smilegate group, began on the 12th.
The Family Division 3 of the Seoul Family Court (Presiding Judge Jeong Dong-hyeok) held the first hearing date in the divorce case filed by Kwon's spouse, a person surnamed Lee, in Nov. 2022 on the afternoon of the same day. The first hearing was held behind closed doors and lasted about 12 minutes.
After the hearing, Lee's side met with reporters and, when asked whether there was discussion of the issues, said, "There was no specific discussion; it was at the level of organizing the issues going forward."
On a follow-up question related to grounds for fault, the response was, "Disclosure is not possible," adding, "Kwon's side maintains there are no grounds for fault and is seeking dismissal of the divorce."
Regarding Kwon's side claiming that "Lee did not substantially participate in management," Lee's side countered, "The fact that Lee served as CEO can be confirmed through the corporate registry," and added, "Lee also holds equity, so it is a matter that can be verified."
Earlier, the court conducted a property appraisal procedure to assess the corporate value of Smilegate Holdings, which is unlisted, and as a result, Kwon's assets were reported to reach up to 8.016 trillion won.
Lee claims to be a co-founder of Smilegate and is said to have demanded half of Kwon's equity in Smilegate Holdings. Along with filing the suit, Lee also sought an injunction to prohibit the disposal of Kwon's shares, and the court granted it.
Born in 1974, Kwon graduated from Sogang University's Department of Electronic Engineering in 1999 and founded Smilegate in 2002. He later served as CEO of Smilegate Holdings, among other roles; in 2017 he became chair of Hope Studio, and in 2020 he took the role of chief vision officer (CVO) at Smilegate.