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

A first-instance court ruling has determined that Choi Tae-won, chairman of SK Group's cohabitant, must pay 2 billion won in alimony to No So-young, director of the Art Center Nabi.

Both parties' lawyers express their positions on the first trial verdict of the 3 billion won alimony lawsuit.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Family Division 4 of the Seoul Family Court (Chief 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 won with Chairman Choi."

The court stated, "Based on the submitted evidence, the defendant and Chairman Choi's misconduct, birth of an illegitimate child, runaway, and public actions have been recognized to have fundamentally damaged the trust relationship between Director No and Chairman Choi, leading to the breakdown of the marriage."

Furthermore, the court explained, "The previous divorce appeal court ruled that Choi Tae-won must pay No So-young 2 billion won in alimony. Considering the circumstances, degree, marital situation, and progress of the defendant and Choi Tae-won's misconduct, it is difficult to view the defendant's responsibility as significantly lighter than Choi Tae-won's," clarifying the reason for the compensation amount.

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

Previously, Chairman Choi revealed the existence of an illegitimate child in 2015 and expressed his intention to divorce Director No. In July 2017, he applied for divorce mediation against Director No. Director No initially refused the divorce but changed her stance two years later and filed a countersuit against Chairman Choi demanding divorce, alimony, and property division.

The first trial in December 2022 effectively sided with Chairman Choi, stating that it was difficult to see that Director No substantially contributed to the formation, maintenance, or value increase of SK shares. The court ordered Chairman Choi to pay 66.5 billion won in property division and 100 million won in alimony to Director No.

On the other hand, the appellate court overturned the original ruling and ordered Chairman Choi to pay Director No 1.3808 trillion won in property division and 2 billion won 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 value increase of SK shares. Chairman Choi's side appealed this decision, and the Supreme Court is currently reviewing the case.