A Seoul High Court ordered Chey Tae-won, chair of SK Hynix, to pay $640mn (Won944bn) to his former wife Roh Soh-yeong, ending a decade‑long battle dubbed the “divorce of the century.” The court cited the sharp rise in SK’s share price during the proceedings, noting that Chey’s managerial contributions could not be excluded from the asset valuation.

The ruling reduces a prior Won1.4tn award but remains the largest divorce payout in South Korea, representing roughly 12 % of Chey’s estimated $5.6bn fortune. Chey’s lawyers said they would decide on an appeal after reviewing the decision, while Roh’s counsel declined comment.

The case has drawn intense public scrutiny because Chey leads SK Group, the nation’s second‑largest conglomerate, and Roh is the daughter of former President Roh Tae-woo. Their 34‑year marriage unraveled publicly in 2015 when Chey disclosed an extramarital affair, leading to failed mediation and years of litigation.

Since the divorce filing in 2017, SK Hynix’s valuation has surged about 2,500 %, driven by its role as Nvidia’s leading supplier of high‑bandwidth memory for AI chips. Chey’s rising global profile includes appearances with Jensen Huang and ringing the opening bell at SK Hynix’s Nasdaq listing.