Surging SK shares complicate owner's property division suit

The high-stakes property division suit between SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and his former wife Roh Soh-yeong are heading into a critical juncture, as a dramatic surge in SK Inc.'s stock price has introduced fresh legal complications over how marital assets should be valued and divided. The Seoul High Court is scheduled to hold a second mediation session on Monday in the retrial of the property division case, which was remanded by the Supreme Court last year. Both sides are widely expected to appear in person — their first face-to-face courtroom encounter in roughly two years and two months since the final appellate hearing in April 2024. At the heart of the dispute is the stock value of SK Inc., the holding company of SK Group. When the appellate court closed arguments in April 2024, shares were traded at around 160,000 won ($105). They have since surged to approximately 600,000 won, driven by mounting expectations surrounding the expansion of the group's artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem and the strong rally of its cash-cow chipmaker, SK hynix. The timing question is now lega