The remand trial in the divorce suit between Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, and Roh Soh-yeong, director of Art Center Nabi, will begin on the 9th of next month. Following the Supreme Court's remand decision, the Seoul High Court will again determine the amount of the asset division.
According to legal sources on the 23rd, the Domestic Affairs Division 1 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Lee Sang-joo) set the first hearing date for the remand trial in this case for 5:20 p.m. on the 9th of next month.
Earlier, the Supreme Court's First Division (Presiding Justice Seo Kyung-hwan) accepted Chairman Chey's appeal and overturned the appellate ruling that had been premised on the notion that former President Roh Tae-woo's 30 billion won slush fund became seed money for SK. While the Supreme Court did not rule on whether the slush fund existed, it found that even if it did exist and had been delivered to SK, it was illegal funds and therefore could not be considered as Roh's contribution in the asset division.
As for the 2 billion won in consolation money, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal and finalized it, finding no error in the lower court's ruling. In the remand trial, the calculation of the asset division will again be at issue.
The two married in September 1988 and had three children. In 2015, Chairman Chey revealed through the media that "there has been a deep rift of more than 10 years between us," and disclosed the existence of a child born out of wedlock. In July 2017, Chairman Chey applied for divorce mediation, but when no agreement was reached in Feb. 2018, the case proceeded to litigation. In Dec. 2019, Roh filed a countersuit, saying she would agree to a divorce.
In Dec. 2022, the court of first instance ordered Chairman Chey to pay Roh 100 million won in consolation money and 66.5 billion won in asset division. The appellate court took a different view on the asset division, finding that the 30 billion won in slush funds flowed to former Chairman Choi Jong-hyun and became seed money for the Sunkyong Group.
On Oct., the Supreme Court sent the case back to the Seoul High Court, finding a misapprehension of legal principles in the appellate ruling, and the remand trial will enter full hearings starting next month.