SK Charman Choi Tae-won (left) and Director Noh So-young. [yonhap News]
SEOUL, Lee Sang-woo (Newsimpact) - A fierce legal battle is anticipated to unfold in the appellate court between SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won and Noh So-young, the director of the Nabi Art Center, in their divorce proceedings.
Chairman Choi and Director Noh initiated divorce proceedings in July 2017. Director Noh is seeking 42.29% of the 12,975,472 shares (17.5% of the total stake) of SK Corporation held by Chairman Choi.
In December of last year, the first-instance court ruled that Chairman Choi should pay Director Noh 1 billion won in alimony and 665 billion won for property division.
SK Corporation shares were excluded from the division of assets. Both Chairman Choi and Director Noh appealed the decision.
According to legal sources, the Seoul High Court Family Division 2 (Presiding Judges Kim Si-cheol, Kang Sang-wook, Lee Dong-hyun) held a preparatory hearing for the divorce proceedings on the 9th of October.
While divorce proceedings are typically conducted through representatives, Director Noh attended the court session in person, whereas Chairman Choi, currently on a business trip abroad, was not present.
The preparatory hearing, lasting for an unusually extended 1 hour and 30 minutes behind closed doors, focused on organizing the key points before the formal trial. The extended discussion implies that neither side is willing to back down.
After the preparatory hearing, Director Noh shared her sentiments with reporters, expressing regret and embarrassment for causing concern to the public due to the domestic issues. She hoped that this case would serve as an opportunity for the protection of essential family values through legal means.
However, Director Noh refrained from commenting on the SK Corporation stock division and the real estate transfer lawsuit filed by SK Innovation against the Nabi Art Center, leaving the courtroom without further statements.
Chairman Choi's camp also made a statement. The representative of Chairman Choi stated, "Similar to the first-instance trial, we will focus solely on the legal proceedings in court." He conveyed Chairman Choi’s apologies for causing concern to many individuals due to personal matters.
By Lee Sang-woo
저작권자 ⓒ 뉴스임팩트, 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지