Tuesday, September 15, 2026

"Inflated and distorted the figure by more than 50 times"—Chey Tae-won's side appeals non-indictment of Roh So-young's attorney

Input
2026-09-15 08:40:16
Updated
2026-09-15 08:40:16
Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group. Photo: Newsis

[Financial News] Chey Tae-won's side has appealed the prosecution's decision not to indict the attorney representing Roh So-young, director of Art Center Nabi, who claimed that Chey had spent more than 100 billion won on Kim Hee-young, a director of the T&C Foundation.
Chey's side pointed out that the amount was inflated and distorted by more than 50 times by Roh's attorney to drive a public-opinion campaign, and that confidential trial materials and personal information that could not be disclosed were also made public.
Chey's legal representatives said in a statement on the 15th, "We have appealed the prosecution's decision not to indict Sang-won Lee, the representative attorney for Director Roh So-young, in connection with allegations of defamation stemming from the dissemination of false information."
Chey's side said, "In media interviews, Attorney Lee claimed that Chairman Chey had spent more than 100 billion won on Director Kim Hee-young," adding, "The amount Chairman Chey spent with Director Kim on living expenses was confirmed through an examination of financial transaction records and explained in detail to the property-division trial court. As of the time of the claim, it was approximately 2 billion won."
Chey's side stressed that both Roh and Attorney Lee knew about this explanation but nevertheless conveyed incorrect information. It explained, "The figure disseminated by Attorney Lee was calculated by adding together all expenditures from Chairman Chey's accounts, even though they had different purposes, and including money paid to Roh herself. As a result, a figure more than 50 times the actual amount was created and disseminated to the media."
Chey's side explained, "Even an account unrelated to Director Kim was counted as spending related to her," adding, "Claiming that contributions and donations made for public-interest purposes were gifts to a specific individual is a far-fetched distortion of the facts."
It continued, "Although Attorney Lee was in a position to verify the facts as the representative in the property-division lawsuit, he inflated the figure to more than 50 times the actual amount to lead a public-opinion campaign favorable to Director Roh and influence the ongoing trial." It criticized him, saying, "He disseminated fake news and even disclosed trial materials and personal financial information that could not be made public under the Family Litigation Act."
Regarding the prosecution's decision not to indict, Chey's side noted, "The decision was based on the view that there was insufficient evidence to prove awareness that the information was false. Nowhere in the decision does it say that the disseminated figure was confirmed to be true." It added, "Nevertheless, the decision is being circulated as if it acknowledged the truth of the claim, and the distortion continues. We therefore decided to seek a new determination."
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