SEOUL, June 15 (AJP) - SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and his estranged wife Roh Soh-yeong failed to reach a settlement Monday in their closely watched billion-dollar divorce dispute, facing each other in court for the first time in more than two years.
The Seoul High Court's family division held a second court-led mediation session at 2 p.m. as part of the remand trial ordered by the Supreme Court. Despite expectations that both sides would begin substantive discussions on the division of assets, the mediation ended without an agreement.
Their appearance marked the first time the two had faced each other in court since the final appellate hearing in April 2024, more than two years ago. At the first mediation session held in May, Roh appeared in person while Chey was represented by his legal team.
Before entering the courthouse, Chey expressed hope the long-running dispute would soon come to an end.
"I hope the mediation can be successfully concluded and the case can be wrapped up quickly," he said.
Roh arrived several minutes earlier but declined to answer questions from reporters regarding the possibility of a settlement or whether either side was prepared to compromise.
After the mediation session concluded, Chey left the court without commenting on the result. He boarded a waiting vehicle without responding to reporters' questions about the negotiations.
The mediation centered on whether Chey's holdings in SK Inc., the holding company of SK Group, should be included in the marital estate and how those shares should be valued.
Chey's legal team argues that the shares are separate property acquired through inheritance and gifts, while Roh maintains that her contributions to child-rearing and family life helped support the growth of SK Group and should entitle her to a share of the assets.
Following the failed talks, the court resumed formal proceedings and scheduled the next hearing for June 26.
The case returned to the Seoul High Court after the Supreme Court last year partially overturned an appellate ruling awarding Roh 1.38 trillion won ($1 billion) in property division, one of the largest divorce settlements in South Korean history.
While upholding the couple's divorce and a separate 2 billion won ($1.4 million) alimony award, the Supreme Court ordered the lower court to reconsider the property division, ruling that funds linked to former President Roh Tae-woo could not be counted as Roh's contribution to the accumulation of SK Group's wealth.
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