According to Korea JoongAng DailyChey, now 66, and Roh Soh Yeong, 62, married in 1988, the same year Roh Tae Woo took office. The pair share three children.

Following their marriage, Roh Soh Yeong pursued a career in the arts and founded Art Center Nabi, which was previously housed in an SK Group building in Seoul before transitioning into a digital platform.

In 2015, Chey disclosed to local media that he and Roh Soh Yeong had been living separately for more than a decade and acknowledged having a child outside the marriage with his partner, Kim Hee Young. The child was born in 2010.

Chey met Kim in 2003 after serving seven months in prison for SK Global’s 1.5 trillion won (US$1 billion) accounting fraud case. Kim is reported to be a Korean-American and a divorcee.

Chey sought a divorce through mediation in July 2017, but the effort failed, and the case moved to formal litigation in February 2018.

Roh Soh Yeong filed a countersuit in December 2019, agreeing to the divorce while seeking 300 million won in alimony and 42.29% of Chey’s stake in SK Group.

In December 2022, a lower court granted the divorce and ordered Chey to pay 66.5 billion won in property division and 100 million won in alimony. Both he and Roh Soh Yeong appealed the decision.

In 2024, the Seoul High Court significantly increased the financial award, accepting Roh Soh Yeong’s claim that her family’s financial support contributed to the early growth of SK Group, then known as Sunkyong Group. The court ordered Chey to pay 1.38 trillion won (US$929 million) in property division and 2 billion won in alimony. Chey challenged the ruling.

The Supreme Court ruled in October 2025 that the High Court had misinterpreted the law, reported Reuters. It stated that even if funds from Roh Tae Woo had been transferred to SK, they could not be considered Roh Soh Yeong’s contribution when dividing marital assets. The court upheld the 2 billion won damages award, rejecting Chey’s appeal on that issue, but sent the case back to the Seoul High Court for further proceedings.

A rehearing was scheduled for January, but the case remains ongoing.

Separately, Roh Soh Yeong filed a lawsuit in March 2023 against Kim, alleging that Chey had spent more than 100 billion won on her and seeking 3 billion won in damages for emotional distress.

“Counting from 2015, when Chey disclosed his relationship with Kim, Chey has spent more than 100 billion won on Kim,” Roh Soh Yeong’s lawyers said at the time. “The spending for Kim is several times higher than the money Chey provided Roh and their children as a family.”

Kim denied the allegations, calling them “false” and “against the law.”

In August 2024, the Seoul Family Court ruled that Kim and Chey should jointly pay Roh 2 billion won in compensation. The court said the evidence showed that infidelity, the child born out of wedlock, and actions had damaged the trust in the marriage and led to its breakdown.

Kim did not appeal the ruling and paid the amount shortly afterward, according to her legal representative. She also issued a public apology to Roh and her children.

According to ForbesSK Group is one of South Korea’s largest conglomerates, with business interests spanning telecommunications, semiconductors, chemicals, and energy.

As of March 10, the group’s SK Telecom holds nearly 50% of South Korea’s mobile market, making it the country’s largest mobile carrier, while its SK Hynix ranks as the world’s second-largest memory chipmaker by sales.

As of March 24, Chey’s net worth is estimated at US$2.9 billion.