Court Appoints Investigator to Probe SK Chief's Divorce

A court-appointed investigator will probe the cause of SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won's split from his wife Roh Soh-yeong as their acrimonious divorce drags on, the Seoul Family Court said Tuesday.

Courts can appoint an investigator if the husband and wife fail to narrow their differences, and the investigator's report is used as evidence in the trial.

But the probe will spare the couple's children, who are all grown, so they will not have to answer questions about how much of a part either parent played in their upbringing.

A court official said, "The focus of the probe will be the cause of the separation." The two have lived apart for more than a decade, Chey having set up house with another woman, but Roh refuses to agree to the divorce.

The dispute became public when Chey sent a letter to a news outlet in December 2015 saying his relationship with his wife has grown "far too distant for more than 10 years" and confessed that he has a child with the other woman "who comforts my heart."

He filed for divorce in July last year.