Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 18, 2026

Chey Tae-won

Chey Tae-won is a South Korean billionaire businessman and the chairman of SK Group, the country's second largest conglomerate, that includes 186 subsidiaries such as SK Telecom, SK Hynix, and SK Innovation. Chey has been the chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) since March 2021.

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Chey Tae-won
최태원
Chey in 2023
Born (1960-12-03) December 3, 1960
Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
Other nameAnthony Chey1
EducationKorea University (BS)
OccupationBusinessman
Years active1998–present
Title
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1988; div. 2025)​
Children4
FatherChey Jong-hyun
Korean name
Hangul
최태원
Hanja
崔泰源
RRChoe Taewon
MRCh'oe T'aewŏn

Chey Tae-won (Korean: 최태원; Hanja: 崔泰源; born December 3, 1960) is a South Korean billionaire businessman and the chairman of SK Group, the country's second largest conglomerate,2 that includes 186 subsidiaries such as SK Telecom, SK Hynix, and SK Innovation. Chey has been the chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) since March 2021.3

Chey is among the richest people in South Korea. In July 2026, Forbes estimated his net worth at US$4.7 billion.4

Early life

Chey was born on December 3, 1960, in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea as the eldest son of Chey Jong-hyun, chairman of Sunkyung Group (now SK Group). Chey attended Korea University where he received a bachelor's degree in physics, and later studied for a PhD in economics at University of Chicago, US, but did not finish.567 He joined SK Corp. as a manager, served as executive director of SK America, executive director of SK Corp. and vice president of SK Corp. After the death of Chey Jong-hyun, the former chairman, he took the post of SK chairman at the early age of 38 without a management dispute. It is reported that Chey Yoon-won, the son of founder Chey Jong-gun, appointed Chey Tae-won as the group leader, saying, "Tae-won is the best among our brothers."

Career

Chey has been chairman of the SK Group since 1998. Chey has held a number of leadership positions across SK's various operating companies.8 He had been chairman of SK Innovation since 2011 and chairman of SK Hynix since 2012.9 He has been chairman of SK Telecom since February 2022.10 SK Group grew into South Korea's second largest corporate group during his tenure.2

In January 2012, Chey was indicted of embezzling over $40 million from SK companies to cover up his trading losses. He denies any wrongdoing.11 In January 2013, Chey was found guilty, and was sentenced to 4 years in prison by the Seoul District Court.12 He was incarcerated near Seoul until his pardon in August 2015.13

Chey has received a number of awards. This includes the "Global Leaders for Tomorrow" award from the World Economic Forum (1999); Co-chair, East Asia Economic Summit 2002 in Malaysia, World Economic Forum (2002); Member, Brookings International Advisory Council (IAC) (2010); Working Group Convener, G20 Business Summit (2010); and two-time President of the Korea Handball Federation (2008, 2016).8

In May 2022, Chey was appointed by the presidential transition team as the head of the civilian committee to support Busan's bid to host the World Expo in 2030.14

Personal life

Chey was married to Roh Soh-yeong, art director and daughter of former South Korean president Roh Tae-woo.15 They have been separated since September 2011,16 and in December 2015, he announced his intention to divorce.17 In December 2022, the Seoul Family Court approved the divorce, and Chey kept most of his shares.18 As part of the divorce, a court ordered Chey to pay $1 billion to his former wife.19 The settlement was overturned in October 2025 by the Supreme Court of Korea, which ordered a review after finding a miscalculation that increased the value of the couple's assets.20

References

References

  1. "Anthony Chey, SK Inc: Profile and Biography". Bloomberg News.
  2. "SK Group jumps to No. 2 in South Korea's largest corporate groups by assets". Korea IT Times. April 28, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  3. "Chey Tae-won named as incoming KCCI chief". The Korea Herald. February 23, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  4. "Chey Tae-won". Forbes. Retrieved July 15, 2026.
  5. "< SK 최씨 일가의 대 이은 시카고大 사랑 > | 연합뉴스 : 바른언론 빠른뉴스". www.yonhapnews.co.kr. April 3, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  6. "Authors". World Economic Forum. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  7. "The Investor". www.theinvestor.co.kr. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  8. "Tae-won Chey, Chairman and CEO". SK. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  9. "Chey Tae-Won – World Policy Conference". Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  10. "SK Group chief Chey to assume chairman post at SK Telecom". Yonhap News Agency. February 21, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  11. "#8 Chey Tae-Won". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  12. "SKorea chaebol chief sentenced to 4 years prison - Yahoo Finance". Finance.yahoo.com. January 31, 2013. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  13. "SK chairman freed from prison for special pardon". Korea IT Times. August 14, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  14. "KCCI chairman seeks international support for Busan's bid to host World Expo". The Korea Times. May 6, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  15. Jaewon, Kim (September 27, 2023). "SK Group's divorce drama forces courts to weigh breaking up chaebol". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  16. "SK Chairman and Roh tae-woo's daughter expected to divorce : Business : News : The Hankyoreh". The Hankyoreh. June 19, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  17. "SK head Chey to divorce ex-president's daughter: report". English.yonhapnews.co.kr. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  18. 유, 청모 (December 6, 2022). "Court approves divorce, property division for SK chief Chey and wife Roh". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  19. Kharpal, Arjun (May 30, 2024). "South Korean tech conglomerate SK Inc. surges 16% after chair's $1 billion divorce settlement". CNBC. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  20. "S Korea tycoon escapes paying $1bn in 'divorce of the century'". BBC. October 16, 2025. Retrieved October 16, 2025.