SK chief's divorce case sent back to lower court SEOUL, October 16 (AJP) - The Supreme Court of Korea on Thursday sent the high-profile divorce case of SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won and his estranged wife Roh Soh-yeong back to the high court. The top court found flaws in the lower courts' assessment of Roh's contribution to the conglomerate's growth, ruling that some 30 billion Korean won (US$21 million) in slush funds from Roh's father, the late former President Roh Tae-woo, which were funneled into SK Group, cannot be considered assets jointly accumulated by the couple. The court clarified that such illegally raised funds constitute bribes and therefore cannot be subject to property division, requiring a recalculation of the couple's marital assets. The court also determined that stocks or cash donated or disposed of by Chey in the course of managing the conglomerate cannot be subject to division if they are no longer held. However, the court finalized its order for Chey to pay 2 billion won in alimony, dismissing his appeal. Thursday's partial referral to the lower court came after the appellate court, which overturned the previous ruling in May last year, ordered Chey to pay Roh 1.38 trillion won (about US$970 million) in property division and 20 billion won in alimony, marking it as the most expensive divorce case in the country's history. In the first trial in December 2022, Roh sought 50 percent of Chey's shares in SK Holdings, the conglomerate's parent company, but the court upheld Chey's argument that she had not contributed to his acquisition of the shares, which he inherited from his father. SK Group appeared relieved by the court's decision to remand the case in favor of Chey, allowing him to avoid the worst-case scenario of having to sell off stakes in SK affiliates to pay astronomical sums to Roh, which could have jeopardized his control over the conglomerate. "We respect the court's decision," Chey's legal representatives said in a press release, adding, "It is fortunate that the misunderstandings and factual errors in the appellate court's ruling have been rectified." But looming uncertainties over the prolonged divorce settlement sent SK shares tumbling, down 5.62 percent from the previous trading session to close at 218,500 won. Chey is the chief of the country's second-largest conglomerate after Samsung. The couple married in September 1988 and have three children between them. In December 2015, Chey revealed that he had a child out of wedlock and later filed for divorce in July 2017 as the two failed to agree on the terms of separation. 2025-10-16 10:41:37

Asian markets open mixed amid renewed tariff disputes between US and China SEOUL, October 15 (AJP) - Asian stock markets opened mixed on Wednesday, reflecting varied investor sentiment across the region. In Seoul, the benchmark KOSPI rose 39 points at around 3,601 in early trading, while the junior Kosdaq gained 5.2 points to open at 853.2. Japanese shares climbed even higher, with the Nikkei 225 jumping 599.4 points to 47,446.7, buoyed by strong buying in technology and manufacturing stocks. Not all Asian bourses joined the rally though. In China, the Shanghai Composite Index slipped 24.3 points to 3,865.2 amid renewed trade tensions between the U.S. and China, despite U.S. President Donald Trump's more accommodative tone just a day after he threatened to impose additional tariffs of 100 percent on Chinese exports in response to Beijing's plans to restrict exports of rare earths. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index also dropped 448 points to 25,441. 2025-10-15 10:38:53

KOSPI and TAIEX higher on chip rally, other markets mixed SEOUL, October 14 (AJP) - South Korean shares stayed resilient on Tuesday morning despite renewed U.S.-China tensions led by chip winners, while most other Asian markets traded mixed. The benchmark Kospi held on to a gain of around 1 percent after hitting a new all-time high of 3,637.45, buoyed by Samsung Electronics' record-breaking third-quarter earnings guidance. The Kosdaq added 0.3 percent to 863.33. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 dropped 1.4 percent to 47,431.83 on concerns over the trade front. China's Shanghai Composite Index inched down to 3,889.50, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was little changed. Meanwhile, Taiwan's TAIEX climbed 1.6 percent to 27,355.97 as Samsung's upbeat earnings lifted sentiment for chipmakers across the region. 2025-10-14 13:10:27