AI Boom Skyrockets Stakes in South Korean Billionaire's $1 Billion Divorce Battle

A South Korean tech billionaire is facing a divorce settlement that could approach $1 billion, a figure significantly amplified by the booming artificial intelligence market. Chey Tae-won, the 65-year-old chairman of SK Group, publicly acknowledged in 2015 that his marriage was irreparable and that he had fathered a child with another woman.

The case, dubbed South Korea's “divorce of the century,” involves Chey and his ex-wife, Roh Soh-yeong, the daughter of former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo. Their marriage, which began in 1988, was once celebrated as the “wedding of the century.”

Roh is seeking half of Chey's assets, requesting that the court value them at current market prices. This demand has become particularly consequential as shares of SK Hynix, a key supplier of AI chips powering systems like those from Nvidia, have surged approximately tenfold since the start of 2025. This surge has more than doubled Chey's fortune to an estimated $5 billion.

Legal experts suggest that valuing the assets at today's high prices could push Roh's payout close to $1 billion and potentially impact Chey's control over the SK Group conglomerate. A ruling in the case is expected Friday.

The legal and personal drama has captivated South Korea for years, weaving together elements of a love triangle, a former presidential family, and a dispute over the origins of the SK fortune. Chey initially announced his desire for a divorce in a newspaper letter, quoting Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina" on unhappy families.

Roh initially resisted divorce but later indicated she might allow her husband to pursue his happiness. The other woman, identified as Kim Hee-young, now Chey's longtime partner, leads a charitable foundation established by the couple. Roh previously sued Kim over the affair, winning approximately $1.5 million in damages, with courts finding the relationship and child born outside the marriage caused emotional harm and destroyed trust.

The dispute over assets has also involved claims that Roh's father, former President Roh Tae-woo, provided secret funding to Chey's father, which helped expand the SK business empire. Chey's legal team has denied these allegations.

An earlier appeals court ordered Chey to give Roh 35% of his assets, valued at close to $1 billion at the time. While South Korea's Supreme Court upheld the divorce, it sent the property settlement back to a lower court, rejecting the use of alleged presidential funds as the basis for Roh's claim.

The central issue in the retrial hinges on how Chey's fortune should be valued. Chey argues for an earlier valuation, before the AI boom significantly increased the value of his holdings. Roh, conversely, wants the court to use the current, much higher valuation, which includes the substantial gains from SK Hynix's performance in the AI chip market.