SK chairman's live-in partner ordered to pay estranged wife $1.5M

The Seoul Family Court on Thursday ordered the live-in partner of SK Chairman Chey Tae-won, Kim Hee-young, to pay the chairman’s estranged wife Roh Soh-yeong 2 billion won ($1.5 million) in compensation.

SK Chairman Chey Tae-won's estranged wife, Roh Soh-yeong, left, and his live-in partner Kim Hee-young [NEWS1, YONHAP]

The Seoul Family Court on Thursday ordered the live-in partner of SK Chairman Chey Tae-won, Kim Hee-young, to pay the chairman’s estranged wife Roh Soh-yeong 2 billion won ($1.5 million) in compensation.

The judge ordered Kim and Chey to jointly pay Roh the 2 billion won in compensation, which is the same amount Chey was ordered to pay in alimony in addition to 1.38 trillion won in property division in May as part of his ongoing divorce suit with Roh. "The submitted evidence shows that the defendant and chairman Chey's infidelity, child borne out of wedlock and public actions have harmed the fundamental trust held between director Roh and chairman Chey, and led to the breakdown of their marriage," the judge ruled.

Kim's legal team reportedly said she would not appeal the ruling in a statement the same day.

Roh filed a compensation suit against Kim in March of last year, asking for 3 billion won in compensation for mental distress Kim inflicted on her due to Chey’s extramarital affair. She claimed the chairman had spent over 100 billion won on Kim and her family as well as the T&C Foundation Kim currently chairs since 2015, much more than the amount provided to Roh and their three children.

Roh Soh-yeong's lawyer Kim Su-jeong talks to the press in front of the Seoul Family Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, after the ruling on Roh's damages suit came out on Thursday. [YONHAP]

Kim’s legal team refuted Roh’s claims, saying she was attempting to “distort public opinion to gain a favorable position in the property division.” Her lawyers also said Chey and Roh's marriage had already been in tatters for over a decade, long before he started a relationship with Kim.

On Thursday, Roh's lawyer, Kim Su-jeong, applauded the ruling, saying the "court showed a willingness to protect the sanctity and value of family" while talking to press after the decision was handed down. Kim's lawyer, Bae In-gu, told the press that "Chairwoman Kim would like to once again apologize to plaintiff Roh Soh-yeong." Bae added, however, that they "believed the lawsuit to have been designed to gain an advantage in the property division [in the divorce suit]," and asked for a "halt to excessive insults to [Kim's] character."

Chey admitted to an extramarital affair with Kim and a daughter out of wedlock in a letter sent to the press in 2015, and filed for a divorce settlement in 2017.

After failing to reach an agreement following Roh's opposition, Chey filed for divorce in February 2018. Roh filed a countersuit in December 2019, and both appealed the first ruling that came out in December 2022.

Chey appealed the Seoul High Court's May ruling in June, citing a "critical error in the division of property," and submitted an appellate brief in August.

Update, Aug. 22: Added details about the judge's statement, the response from the parties' legal representation, the additional legal filing and background on the original suit.

BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]