Tech billionaire’s ex-wife loses bid for larger share of AI fortune in decade-long ‘divorce of the century’
Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, during a news conference at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday, June 29, 2026.
AI boom boosts tech billionaire’s fortune as ex-wife loses bid for bigger divorce payout
The artificial intelligence surge has created massive new fortunes, but it has not translated into a larger divorce settlement for the former wife of South Korean tech billionaire Chey Tae-won.
In the latest chapter of a decade-long legal battle, the Seoul High Court on Friday ordered the SK Group chairman to pay his ex-wife, Roh Soh-yeong, 944 billion won ($644 million) — far less than the multi-billion-dollar settlement she had sought.
Roh, the daughter of former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo, argued that her father’s early support helped fuel SK Group’s growth and that the value of Chey’s assets should reflect the company’s soaring 2026 valuation, driven by the AI-fueled rise of memory chip giant SK Hynix.
The court rejected that argument, ruling the shares should instead be valued as of 2024, before the AI boom sent SK Hynix’s stock price surging roughly fivefold. The decision also reduced the amount awarded in an earlier 2024 ruling, after South Korea’s Supreme Court determined that Roh’s father’s financial contribution should not factor into the asset division.
The ruling gives Roh one-third of the marital assets, while Chey retains two-thirds.
Meanwhile, SK Hynix has emerged as one of the world’s most valuable chipmakers, propelled by soaring demand for AI semiconductors. The company hit a $1 trillion valuation in May and recently completed a record-breaking $26.5 billion U.S. listing by a foreign company.
The AI-driven rally has significantly boosted Chey’s wealth and elevated his global profile, with the billionaire frequently appearing alongside top tech leaders including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
