Court Orders Choi Tae-won's Cohabitant to Pay 2 Billion Won in Alimony to Noh So-young (Comprehensive)

Choi Tae-won and Kim Hee-young to Pay 2 Billion Won in Joint Alimony
No So-young's Side: "Grateful for Protecting Family Values"
Kim Hee-young's Side: "Sincerely Apologize to No So-young"

A first-instance court ruling has ordered Choi Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, and his cohabitant to pay 2 billion KRW in alimony to No So-young, director of the Art Center Nabi.

Attorney Kim Sujeong, the legal representative of Director Noh Soyoung, is stating her position. Photo by Kang Jinhyung aymsdream@

The Family Court of Seoul, Family Division 4 (Presiding Judge Lee Kwang-woo) on the 22nd ruled partially in favor of the plaintiff in a damages claim lawsuit filed by Director No against Kim Hee-young, director of the T&C Foundation and cohabitant of Chairman Choi, stating, “The defendant shall jointly pay the plaintiff 2 billion KRW together with Chairman Choi.”

The court stated, “Based on the submitted evidence, it is recognized that the defendant and Chairman Choi’s infidelity, birth of an illegitimate child, running away from home, and public actions fundamentally damaged the trust relationship between Director No and Chairman Choi, leading to the breakdown of their marriage.”

The court also rejected the defendant’s claims that the marriage was already broken or that the plaintiff was primarily responsible for the breakdown. Furthermore, the court did not accept the defendant’s argument that after December 2019, when Director No filed a counterclaim against Chairman Choi in a prior divorce lawsuit, the couple’s joint marital life was effectively broken and that the defendant’s relationship with Chairman Choi did not constitute infidelity or that the statute of limitations had expired.

Moreover, the court explained the reason for the compensation amount, stating, “The prior divorce appeal ruled that Choi Tae-won must pay No So-young 2 billion KRW in alimony. Considering the circumstances, degree, marital situation, and progress of the defendant and Chairman Choi’s infidelity, it is difficult to view the defendant’s responsibility as significantly lighter than that of Chairman Choi.”

Earlier, in March last year, Director No filed a lawsuit demanding 3 billion KRW in alimony from Director Kim, claiming she suffered severe mental distress due to the breakdown of her marriage with Chairman Choi.

Immediately after the ruling, Kim Su-jeong, legal representative for Director No, stated, “The pain experienced by the plaintiff and her children is difficult to heal by any means. However, the court’s serious recognition of the compensation responsibility reflects its will to protect the preciousness and value of family. We are grateful to the court for its thorough consideration.”

Attorney Bae In-gu, the legal representative of Chairman Kim Hee-young, is making a statement and then greeting. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

On the other hand, Bae In-gu, legal representative for Director Kim, said, “Regardless of the reasons, we sincerely apologize once again to Director No,” but also appealed, “Director Kim and her family have suffered greatly from meticulously orchestrated public opinion campaigns and fake news. We ask that the excessive character assassination stop.”

Meanwhile, Chairman Choi revealed the existence of an illegitimate child in 2015 and expressed his intention to divorce Director No. In July 2017, he filed for divorce mediation against Director No. Director No initially refused the divorce but changed her stance two years later and filed a countersuit demanding divorce, alimony, and property division against Chairman Choi. The first trial court in December 2022 essentially sided with Chairman Choi, ruling that it was difficult to see Director No as having substantially contributed to the formation, maintenance, or value increase of SK shares. The court ordered Chairman Choi to pay 66.5 billion KRW in property division and 100 million KRW in alimony to Director No.

However, the appellate court overturned the original ruling and ordered Chairman Choi to pay Director No 1.3808 trillion KRW in property division and 2 billion KRW in alimony. The court judged that Director No’s ‘political influence’ and ‘support and household labor’ contributed to SK’s management activities and the formation and increase in value of SK shares. Chairman Choi appealed this decision, and the case is currently under review by the Supreme Court.

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