The estranged wife of SK Group's CEO is increasing her child support claim to $1.5 billion

SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won (left) and Art Center Nabi director Roh Soh-yeong will meet on Thursday for their first formal appeal to resolve their divorce. [YONHAP]

Roh Soh-yeong, the estranged wife of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, has increased her maintenance allowance to 2 trillion won ($1.5 billion) in cash instead of SK shares.

According to the legal industry on Wednesday, the judges presiding over their settlement case issued an order to increase court fees to 4.7 billion won, up from the 3.4 billion won ordered in the first court.

Calculating the amount based on the Law on Stamps Attached to Civil Litigation and the Law on Family Disputes, the total amount of Roh's alimony claim is expected to be 2.3 trillion won.
The 3 billion won is likely the amount Roh had demanded as compensation for the psychological stress Chey's partner Kim Hee-young caused her when Roh filed a lawsuit against Kim in March.

Roh had previously demanded half of Chey's 12,975,472 SK shares and 300 million won as maintenance in the first trial. It is analyzed that the change in claims reflects the decline in stock values ​​and an additional amount determined during the appeal process.

SK's shares fell from 200,000 won in December 2022, when the first trial took place, to 160,000 won in January this year. As a result, the value of the shares originally applied for fell from 1.36 trillion won to 1.1 trillion won.

It is understood that the additional amount was requested following the discovery of Chairman Chey's bank financial transactions filed following the appeal court's order.

In the first trial in December 2022, it was decided that Chey must pay 66.5 billion won to Roh as property division and that both must pay 100 million won each as alimony. Neither agreed with the decision, and after Roh appealed the ruling on December 19, Chey also appealed three days later.

The two will meet in court on Thursday at 2 p.m. for the first formal appeal hearing.

Chey married Roh in 1988, but publicly announced a new relationship and the birth of an illegitimate daughter in 2015. The director of Art Center Nabi, Roh, is the daughter of the late President Roh Tae-woo.

BY HAN YOUNG-HYE, KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]