Noh Soh-yeong, director of Art Center Nabi, did not file a cross-appeal in the second Supreme Court review of her asset division case with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won. With Chey's side having filed its own appeal, the legal battle over the division of their assets is expected to continue.
Noh's side did not submit a cross-appeal to the Supreme Court by midnight on the 13th, the deadline for doing so, according to legal circles on the 14th. A cross-appeal is a procedure that allows a party to contest the portions of a lower court ruling unfavorable to them in response to the other side's appeal.
In July, the Seoul High Court ruled in the remanded retrial of their asset division case that Chey must pay Noh 944 billion won ($663 million) in cash. Noh's side appears to have decided against a cross-appeal after concluding there was little chance the Supreme Court would alter the division ratio or the scope of assets subject to division, the points Chey's side is contesting in its appeal.
In the appellate brief submitted on the 12th, Chey's side made the appropriateness of the division ratio set by the remanded retrial its central issue. The retrial court did not recognize a contribution from slush funds linked to former President Roh Tae-woo, yet still set Noh's share of the asset division at 33% — an outcome Chey's side argues is unwarranted. The appellate court that heard the case before the remand had recognized Noh's contribution at 35%.
Chey's side also took issue with the court's valuation of the SK shares subject to division as of the closing date of arguments in the pre-remand appeal, while factoring subsequent gains in the share price into its calculation of the division ratio. His side further argued that including the SK Siltron stake he acquired in 2017, after the marriage had broken down, among the divisible assets was improper, signaling that the dispute over which assets are subject to division will also continue.