Noh So-young's Side "Cannot Leave Art Center... Never Expected Divorce to Lead to This"

No Soyoung, director of Art Center Nabi, who is in the middle of a divorce lawsuit with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, has stated that they cannot comply with SK Innovation's demand to vacate the Seorin Building. SK Innovation claims that the losses caused by unauthorized occupancy are significant since the contract has already expired.

According to the legal community, on the 8th, the Seoul Central District Court held the first mediation hearing for SK Innovation's real estate delivery claim lawsuit against Art Center Nabi Museum and decided to attempt one more mediation session two weeks later.

Chairman Chey Tae-won of SK Group and Director Noh So-young of Art Center Nabi

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No’s attorney stated, "It is more important that she is the representative of the museum than her personal status," adding, "The museum is a cultural facility that stores artworks, so its value must be protected, and there is a responsibility to consider the interests of the employees, making eviction difficult." He continued, "If evicted, there would be nowhere to store the artworks, and all the staff would have to be laid off," and said, "Is it necessary to go this far just because of a divorce?"

An SK Innovation official rebutted, "The core issue in this case is the lease contract between the lessor SK Innovation corporation and Art Center Nabi corporation, which ended around September 2019," adding, "Nevertheless, by linking No Soyoung’s personal divorce lawsuit with this case and not vacating the office, it causes inconvenience to employees and executives as well as significant operational losses."

The real estate SK Innovation is demanding to be vacated is the 4th floor of the Seorin Building, SK Group’s headquarters located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, where Art Center Nabi is housed. Art Center Nabi opened here in December 2000. SK Innovation, which manages the Seorin Building, filed a lawsuit in April this year, stating that the contract with Art Center Nabi ended around 2018?2019 and that the space must be vacated.

Meanwhile, the divorce lawsuit between Chairman Chey and Director No is currently in the appellate stage. No is expected to attend the first preparatory hearing of the second trial scheduled for the 9th. 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, but both parties have appealed.

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