Choi Tae-won and Noh So-young Absent from 2nd Divorce Lawsuit Hearing... Verification of Property Inventory Details

[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] The second hearing of the divorce lawsuit between Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, and Noh So-young, director of Art Center Nabi, ended in about 7 minutes. With both parties absent, the court ordered both sides to submit a list of assets they hold.

On the 26th, the Family Division 2 of the Seoul Family Court (Presiding Judge Jeon Yeon-sook) held a closed second hearing for the divorce lawsuit between Chairman Chey and Director Noh. Neither party attended the hearing, only their legal representatives were present.

During the second hearing, it is reported that opinions were exchanged and verification procedures were conducted regarding the asset lists previously submitted to the court by both parties. An SK official stated, "Chairman Chey is actively explaining all processes of the trial through his legal representatives," adding, "If there is anything he needs to explain personally, he will appear in court directly."

Chairman Chey Tae-won of SK Group (right) and Director Noh So-young of Art Center Nabi are attending the second mediation session of their divorce lawsuit earlier this year at the Seoul Family Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

For reference, in divorce lawsuits, the parties involved are not obligated to appear in court. Chairman Chey acknowledged an extramarital child in 2015 and applied for divorce mediation with Director Noh in 2017. After both sides failed to reach an agreement through mediation, the case proceeded to a divorce lawsuit.

Director Noh, who opposed the divorce, filed a counterclaim last December agreeing to the divorce and demanded 300 million KRW in alimony and 42.29% of SK Inc. shares held by Chairman Chey.

Director Noh still maintains that if Chairman Chey returns home, the divorce lawsuit will be considered null and void. On the other hand, Chairman Chey’s side stated, "The claim that Director Noh, who newly organized legal representatives and requested supplementation of the asset list, intends to withdraw the lawsuit is inconsistent."