Aug 15 (Reuters) - SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won has

appealed against a South Korean court ruling ordering him to pay

944 billion won ($668.52 million) to his former wife Roh

Soh-yeong in a record divorce settlement, his lawyers said.

The Seoul High Court ruled in late July that Chey should

make the cash payment as a division of marital assets, while

retaining his shares in SK Inc, the holding company

of South Korea's second-largest conglomerate.

The decision reduced a 1.38 trillion won award made by an

appeals court in 2024 after the Supreme Court rejected the

inclusion of alleged funds from Roh's father, former President

Roh Tae-woo, as a legally protected contribution.

Chey's appeal could prolong a closely watched case that has

focused investor attention on Chey's control of SK Group.

The case has drawn attention because an AI boom has sharply

increased the value of SK Group's semiconductor assets and, in

turn, Chey's holding company stake.

SK Hynix ( SKHY ), a major supplier of high-bandwidth memory (HBM)

chips used with AI processors, has been among the chief

beneficiaries of global demand for AI infrastructure.

The chipmaker listed American depositary shares on Nasdaq in

July, broadening its access to global investors after a surge in

its market value linked to the AI rally.

($1 = 1,412.0800 won)