SK Inno and Noso-Young's 'Art Museum Eviction Lawsuit' Mediation Fails... Will Dispute in Court

SK Innovation's lawsuit demanding the eviction of Noh So-young (62), director of Art Center Nabi and currently in a divorce lawsuit with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won (63), from the Seorin Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, has failed to reach a settlement.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the afternoon of the 22nd, the Seoul Central District Court held the second mediation hearing for SK Innovation's real estate delivery claim lawsuit against Director Noh, but the representative from SK Innovation did not attend, resulting in no settlement. Accordingly, the lawsuit is expected to be concluded through a formal trial presided over by Judge Jang Seong-hak of Civil Division 36 at the Seoul Central District Court. SK Innovation stated, "The mediation failed because an unacceptable settlement proposal was submitted."

It was reported that at the first mediation hearing on the 8th, the court told SK Innovation that if they had no intention of accepting Art Center Nabi's settlement proposal, they did not need to attend the second mediation. Subsequently, Art Center Nabi submitted a settlement proposal on the 16th, which SK Innovation apparently did not accept.

The property SK Innovation is demanding to be vacated is the 4th floor of the Seorin Building, SK Group's headquarters, where Art Center Nabi is located. Art Center Nabi opened there in December 2000. SK Innovation, which manages the Seorin Building, stated that the lease contract with Art Center Nabi expired in September 2019, but due to unauthorized occupancy causing significant operational losses, it filed a lawsuit in April this year demanding eviction.

In response, Director Noh argued, "As a cultural facility that stores artworks, the museum's value must be protected, and Director Noh has the responsibility, not as an individual but as a representative, to consider the interests of the employees."

The divorce lawsuit between Chairman Chey and Director Noh is currently in the appellate stage. In December of last year, the first trial ruled that Chairman Chey's SK shares are his separate property and not subject to division, recognizing only 100 million won in alimony and 66.5 billion won in cash, with both parties appealing the decision.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.