[Edaily Reporter Lee Ji-eun] This week, the court will hold the second mediation hearing regarding the division of assets in the divorce lawsuit between SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won and Noh So-young, director of the Art Center Nabi.

In addition, the first-instance sentencing is scheduled for former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who is accused of leaking information from an Agency for Defense Development (ADD) officer during the December 3 emergency martial law period.

According to legal circles on the 14th, the Family Division 1 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Lee Sang-ju) will hold the second mediation session regarding the division of assets between Chairman Choi and Director Noh.

The first mediation session, held on the 13th of last month, ended in about an hour after merely confirming the positions of both parties, with only Mrs. Noh in attendance. At that time, the court decided to reschedule the next session for a date when both Chairman Choi and Mrs. Noh could attend, meaning they are expected to face each other in court for the first time in about two years and two months.

It is anticipated that this session will feature substantive discussions regarding Mrs. Noh’s contribution to the marital assets and the scope of assets subject to division. In particular, with the recent sharp rise in the stock prices of companies such as #SK Hynix, the value of the assets could vary significantly depending on the valuation date chosen. In divorce property division cases, the value of the assets to be divided is, in principle, determined as of the date of the conclusion of the trial.

The divorce proceedings between Chairman Choi and Mrs. Noh began in 2017. Chairman Choi filed for divorce mediation with the court in July of that year, but when mediation failed, the case proceeded to formal litigation in February 2018. Mrs. Noh filed a counterclaim in December 2019, stating she would agree to the divorce.

The first-instance court ruled that Chairman Choi must pay Director Noh 100 million won in alimony and 66.5 billion won in cash as part of the property division. However, the appellate court calculated the property division at a 65-to-35 ratio, ruling that Chairman Choi must pay Director Noh 1.3808 trillion won. It also significantly increased the alimony to 2 billion won.

However, in October of last year, the Supreme Court overturned the appellate court’s ruling and remanded the case to the Seoul High Court. The Supreme Court reasoned that even if the 30 billion won in slush funds from former President Roh Tae-woo had been transferred, it constituted illegal funds and could not be considered a contribution by Mrs. Roh in calculating the property division. The court upheld the 2 billion won in alimony, however.

The 21st Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Cho Sun-pyo) will hold a sentencing hearing on the 19th for former Minister Kim on charges of leaking military secrets under the Military Criminal Act and violating the Personal Information Protection Act. Special Prosecutor Jo Eun-seok’s team sought a five-year prison sentence at the final hearing on the 12th of last month.

Former Minister Kim is accused of conspiring with then-Director of Military Intelligence Moon Sang-ho, Kim Bong-kyu, head of the Central News Unit, and Jeong Seong-wook, head of the 2nd Operations Unit of the 100th Brigade, to provide personal information on approximately 40 individuals—including members of the AIS Special Mission Unit (HID)—to former AIS Commander Roh Sang-won, who was a civilian at the time.

In connection with this, former Commander Noh was sentenced to two years in prison by the Supreme Court on charges including violation of the Personal Information Protection Act and violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (brokering bribes).

On the 16th, the appellate court is scheduled to deliver its verdict in the case of Seo Hoon, former Director of the National Security Office at the Blue House, who is accused of ordering the suppression of information to cover up the shooting of a government official in the West Sea.

The 3rd Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Lee Seung-han) will hold the sentencing hearing for the appeals trial of former Director Seo and former Korea Coast Guard Commissioner Kim Hong-hee, who are charged with forging and using false official documents, among other charges. The prosecution has requested the court to sentence them to one year and six months and two years in prison, respectively.

The investigation into the West Sea civil servant shooting incident began in June 2022 when the Board of Audit and Inspection launched an audit regarding the September 2020 incident—during the Moon Jae-in administration—in which the late Lee Dae-jun, a civil servant with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, was killed by North Korean forces in the West Sea.

Former Director Seo is accused of instructing Joint Chiefs of Staff officials and former Director Kim to maintain secrecy in order to conceal the shooting at the first National Security Council meeting held on September 23, 2020, the day after Mr. Lee was killed. Former Director Kim is charged with receiving those instructions and distributing false information regarding the possibility of defection to North Korea.