"9.44 trillion Korean won sky-high divorce case 'hammered down'! Cash carve-out avoids splitting crisis, SK Hynix (SKHY.US) alert lifted"

Notice that the "century divorce case" between SK Group's Chairman, Che Taiyuan, and his ex-wife, Lu Suyeong (daughter of former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo), which has taken nearly ten years, has received the latest judgment. The court finally ruled that Che Taiyuan should pay 94.4 trillion Korean won (approximately 6.44 billion US dollars / 43.7 billion Chinese yuan) in cash property division to his ex-wife. This high-price judgment quickly sparked global capital markets' high attention to SK Group and its core semiconductor giant, SK Hynix (SKHY.US). When the news broke, SK Hynix's South Korean stock price dropped by 6.83% to 178.8 thousand Korean won, triggering a 6% drop in the South Korean KOSPI index that day and activating the Sidecar suspension of sell orders mechanism. SK Hynix's intraday decline extended to 7.7%. However, after the panic subsided, the market generally expected the judgment to have a limited substantial impact on SK Hynix's stock price, with the company's AI chip leadership position still being the core variable determining valuation. Control solidified: Cash division shatters "split crisis" On July 24, the Seoul High Court's Family Affairs 1 Division ruled that Che Taiyuan's shares in SK Corporation should be divided in a 2 PM judgment, recognizing them as marital property to be divided with Lu Suyeong in a 2:1 ratio. However, the court chose the valuation reference point as April 2024, the end date of the second trial (when SK's stock price was around 160 thousand Korean won), rather than the current market price of over 800 thousand Korean won, resulting in a significant reduction in the division amount from 1.38 trillion Korean won in the second trial to 944 billion Korean won. It is worth noting that the court explicitly excluded the recognition of "300 billion Korean won illegal funds" contributed by former President Roh Tae-woo to SK's growth, and required payment in cash instead of stocks. Che Taiyuan's side immediately stated after the judgment that they would "carefully study the ruling before deciding whether to appeal," indicating that this nine-year-long litigation may still proceed to the final stage in the High Court. In terms of property division, the court adopted a compensatory method, with Che Taiyuan continuing to hold shares and making up the difference in Lu Suyeong's share in cash. This was done to maintain control over the company's operations and ensure stable corporate governance structure. Previously, the capital market's biggest concern about this case was "dilution of control." In previous litigation debates, the two parties fiercely debated whether Che Taiyuan's shares in SK Group's holding company, SK Inc., should be directly split as joint property. If the court ruled for physical stock division, Che Taiyuan's stake in SK Inc. would significantly weaken, possibly leading to activist investors intervening and causing turbulence in SK Group's overall management. However, the court ultimately clarified that the division payment would be made in "cash," which was a significant positive for SK Hynix. Looking back at historical trends, on the day of the second trial judgment of 1.38 trillion Korean won in May 2024, both SK Group and SK Hynix synchronous...