Tech titan’s ex-wife fails to win greater share of AI boom in decade-long divorce saga

By Stephanie Yang, Yoonjung Seo, CNN

Seoul (CNN) — The AI gold rush is minting new fortunes, but the ex-wife of one of South Korea’s biggest tech titans has failed to win a greater share of his wealth as his company’s stock price has soared.

In another twist in the long-running divorce case that’s captivated the nation, billionaire SK Hynix Chairman Chey Tae-won was ordered on Friday to pay his former wife 944 billion won ($644 million) – well below the amount she sought.

Chey split from his wife Roh Soh-yeong, the daughter of former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo, more than 10 years ago, when he took the extraordinary step of announcing their marriage was over via a letter to South Korean media.

Since then, she’s fought for a bigger slice of his fortune, arguing in multiple court cases that her father contributed to the company’s growth with an early investment – and that her payout should be based on the 2026 valuation of Chey’s SK Group.

Roh’s assessment would have meant a payout of billions of dollars, inflated by an AI boom that’s boosted demand for the memory chips made by SK Hynix, a subsidiary of SK Group.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The-CNN-Wire
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