Choi Tae-won's Side: "No So-young, Distortion of Facts and Character Defamation... Domestic Case Should Be Handled in Court"

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won (63) criticized Noh So-young, director of the Art Center Nabi (62), who is currently undergoing a divorce lawsuit, stating that "since the first trial verdict, she has continuously maliciously distorted the facts and distributed them to the media, repeatedly engaging in personal attacks."

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

On the 28th, Chairman Chey’s side released a statement saying, "(Due to the distribution of press releases by Noh’s side the previous day) irreparable damage is occurring," expressing their concerns.

Chairman Chey’s side pointed out, "Noh criticized the first trial verdict through interviews, claiming that the ruling was unfair and did not follow legal principles," adding, "She led the general public, who are unaware of the facts, to form incorrect prejudices and even used aggressive expressions against the presiding judge of the first trial."

They also claimed, "Even during the appeal trial of the divorce lawsuit, she hired a former attorney with ties to the court to select the desired panel. This so-called 'court shopping' involved irregular actions such as changing the panel."

In particular, they emphasized, "Noh simultaneously filed a damages lawsuit against Chairman Chey’s cohabitant and unusually distributed a pre-prepared press release the day before," adding, "She distorted, edited, and wrote unconfirmed or unverified facts in her favor and distributed them indiscriminately."

Chairman Chey’s side stated, "This is a very malicious act aimed at distorting public opinion to exert pressure and influence on the divorce trial," and added, "Considering that this is a personal dispute and a family matter, we strongly request that such illegal and personal attack claims are no longer repeated and that the case is handled fairly in court."

The day before, Noh’s legal representatives filed a claim for 3 billion KRW in damages against Kim Hee-young, director of the T&C Foundation and Chairman Chey’s cohabitant, stating in a press release, "Director Kim caused the breakdown of the marriage, and Noh suffered extreme mental distress," and claimed, "Kim, who is married, actively approached Chairman Chey under the pretext of counseling and other means."

They further pointed out, "Noh had undergone cancer surgery and her son was also battling illness, making the roles of husband and father crucial at home, yet (Kim) continued an affair with Chairman Chey and even gave birth to an illegitimate child," adding, "While Noh refused divorce and tried to protect the family, Kim accompanied Chairman Chey in public and acted as if she were his spouse."

Regarding the reason for claiming 3 billion KRW, they explained, "Even if an affair occurs, if only a very small portion of the benefits from the infidelity is paid as damages, a negative perception that this is acceptable could spread in society, so the amount should be appropriately calculated."

Previously, Chairman Chey and Noh married in September 1988, the first year of the late President Roh Tae-woo’s inauguration, and had three children, but their marriage ended in divorce.

Chairman Chey publicly acknowledged his relationship with Director Kim in 2015 and announced his intention to divorce Noh. The formal legal divorce process began in earnest when Chairman Chey filed for divorce mediation in July 2017, but after the mediation failed, a formal divorce lawsuit started in February 2018.

Noh, who initially refused the divorce, filed a counterclaim against Chairman Chey in December 2019, demanding 300 million KRW in damages and requesting the division of half of the 12,975,472 SK shares held by Chairman Chey, totaling 6,487,736 shares.

The first trial of the divorce lawsuit ruled that "Chairman Chey must pay Noh 100 million KRW in damages and 66.5 billion KRW in property division." However, the SK shares held by Chairman Chey, which Noh requested, were not included in the property division. Both parties appealed, and the appeal trial is scheduled to be heard at the Seoul High Court.