South Korean Gaming Tycoon Ordered to Pay Record $1.87 Billion Divorce Settlement

A South Korean court has ordered a prominent video game tycoon to pay his ex-wife approximately $1.87 billion, marking one of the largest divorce settlements in the country's history. The ruling requires the billionaire to transfer significant shares of his company to satisfy the judgment.

9 Sept, 06:19 — 9 Sept, 23:21

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Why this matters

This case sets a legal precedent for high-net-worth individuals in South Korea regarding marital asset division, particularly concerning equity in private companies like gaming firms. It highlights the growing wealth disparity and the legal mechanisms available to spouses in wealthy divorces, potentially influencing future family law cases in the region.

Key entitiesKwon Hyuk-bin Smilegate Seoul Family Court Kwon's Ex-Wife

The Story

What 16 sources agree on, dispute, and miss

What sources agree on

A Seoul court ordered Kwon Hyuk-bin, founder of Smilegate, to pay his ex-wife a record divorce settlement.
The total value of the settlement is approximately 2.55 trillion won.
This marks the largest divorce asset division in South Korean history.
The settlement includes a transfer of 35% of Kwon's shares in Smilegate plus cash payments.

Key claims4 agreed · 1 disputed

✓

Kwon Hyuk-bin is the founder of the video game company Smilegate.

agreed·yonhap-englishKorea Heraldjutarnji-listindex-hrhotnews

✓

The settlement consists of 35% of Kwon's shares in Smilegate and 65 billion won in cash.

agreed·Korea Heraldindex-hrjutarnji-listklix-ba

✓

The total settlement value is 2.55 trillion won.

agreed·myjoyonlinehotnewsyonhap-englishKorea Herald

✗

The USD equivalent of the settlement is between $1.87 billion and $1.89 billion.

disputed·myjoyonlineBBCstraits-times

Disputed byndtvchannel-news-asia

NDTV and Channel News Asia report the value as $1.5 billion, suggesting a lower exchange rate or rounding difference compared to the ~$1.87bn figure cited by others.

✓

This is the largest divorce settlement in South Korean history.

agreed·myjoyonlineBBCndtvchannel-news-asiaklix-ba

Where they diverge

Exact USD/EUR valuation of the settlement

myjoyonlineBBCYahooklix-bastraits-times

Cite the value as approximately $1.87–$1.89 billion USD.

seneweborfle-figarondtvchannel-news-asia

Cite the value as approximately $1.5 billion USD or €1.5 billion EUR, likely using older or different exchange rate benchmarks.

Coverage matrix(16 sources)

1–10 of 16

	BBC	le-figaro	orf	index-hr	Yahoo	hotnews	jutarnji-list	straits-times	klix-ba	ndtv
Exact USD/EUR valuation of the settlement

Covered Divergent Not mentioned

The Story

Analyzing sources…

Source Diversity

Excellent (84/100)

16 sources33/33

Spectrum spread— 3/5 buckets covered17/33

Far L

Left5

Left (5)

hotnewsindex-hrYahooBBCndtv

Center7

Center (7)

seneweborfmyjoyonlinejutarnji-listklix-bayonhap-englishKorea Herald

Right4

Right (4)

star-malaysiachannel-news-asiale-figarostraits-times

Far R

Geographic diversity— 13 regions34/34

Croatia2South Korea2Singapore2Malaysia1Senegal1Austria1Romania1Ghana1Bosnia1US1UK1India1France1

Political spectrum

LeftCenterRight

index-hr

ndtv

hotnews

yahoo

bbc

seneweb

orf

myjoyonline

jutarnji-list

klix-ba

yonhap-english

korea-herald

channel-news-asia

straits-times

le-figaro

Outlet rating This story

SourceOutletiGeneral editorial lean of the outletStoryiHow they covered this specific storyToneFactuality

index-hrcenter-leftcenter-leftneutral—Highlights billionaire losing assets

ndtvcenter-leftcenter-leftneutralMostly FactualFrames as significant societal event

hotnews

Coverage leans: center

The coverage is highly factual and neutral, focusing on legal outcomes and financial figures without significant political framing or ideological spin.

Sources

Showing 9 of 16 sources

BBCHigh1d ago

Tycoon to pay ex-wife $1.87bn in record South Korea divorce settlement

The billion dollar payout marks the largest divorce settlement in the country's history.

Read full article →

YahooMostly Factual1d ago

Tycoon to pay ex-wife $1.87bn in record South Korea divorce settlement

Read full article →

straits-timesMostly Factual1d ago

Smilegate founder ordered by Seoul court to pay record $1.89 billion in divorce, report says - The Straits Times

Smilegate founder ordered by Seoul court to pay record $1.89 billion in divorce, report says The Straits Times

Read full article →

ndtvMostly Factual1d ago

South Korean Video Game Tycoon To Pay Record $1.5 Billion In Divorce

A Seoul court on Wednesday ordered South Korean video game tycoon Kwon Hyuk-bin to pay more than 2 trillion won ($1.5 billion) in a divorce settlement, the largest asset division ever awarded in the country.

Read full article →

Korea HeraldMostly Factual1d ago

Smilegate founder ordered to transfer 35% stake in record divorce ruling

A Seoul court granted the wife of Smilegate founder Kwon Hyuk-bin a divorce Wednesday and awarded her 35 percent of his shares in the gaming company plus 65 billion won in cash. The 2.55 trillion won ($1.9 billion) property division would be the largest ever reported in South Korea if upheld. The Seoul Family Court valued Kwon’s Smilegate shares at about 7.1 trillion won. It ordered him to transfer 35 percent of the stock to his wife, surnamed Lee, in kind rather than pay its value in cash. The

By The Korea Herald

Read full article →

yonhap-englishMostly Factual1d ago

Court orders Smilegate founder to pay wife record 2.55 tln won in divorce

SEOUL, Sept. 9 (Yonhap) -- A court on Wednesday ordered Kwon Hyuk-bin, the found...

By Yoo Cheong-mo

Read full article →

channel-news-asiaMostly Factual1d ago

South Korea video game tycoon to pay record US$1.5 billion in divorce

This is the largest asset division ever awarded in South Korea.

Read full article →

star-malaysiaMixed13h ago

Video game tycoon to pay US$1.5bil in divorce - The Star

Video game tycoon to pay US$1.5bil in divorce The Star

Read full article →

myjoyonlineMixed1d ago

Tycoon to pay ex-wife $1.87bn in record South Korea divorce settlement

A South Korean court has ordered gaming tycoon Kwon Hyuk-bin to pay his ex-wife 2.55tr won ($1.87bn; £1.38bn) in assets, marking the largest divorce settlement in the country's history.

By Emmanuel Tetteh

Read full article →

Coverage Timeline

First report: straits-times · 9 Sept, 06:19|Full coverage: 16 · 17h|Window: 17h

Left-leaningCenterRight-leaning

straits-times9 Sept, 06:19First to report

Smilegate founder ordered by Seoul court to pay record $1.89 billion in divorce, report says - The Straits Times

Korea Herald9 Sept, 06:29

Smilegate founder ordered to transfer 35% stake in record divorce ruling

le-figaro9 Sept, 06:43

Le magnat sud-coréen du jeu vidéo Kwon Hyuk-bin condamné à verser 1,5 milliard d’euros à son ex-épouse

channel-news-asia9 Sept, 06:53

Najbogatiji Južnokorejac ostaje bez 35 posto kompanije, bivšoj supruzi mora isplatiti 1,87 milijardi dolara

jutarnji-list9 Sept, 09:12

Južnokorejski milijarder mora bivšoj supruzi isplatiti 1,5 milijardi dolara

myjoyonline9 Sept, 10:07

Tycoon to pay ex-wife $1.87bn in record South Korea divorce settlement

index-hr9 Sept, 10:12

Južnokorejski bogataš mora bivšoj supruzi isplatiti 1,5 milijardi dolara

hotnews9 Sept, 10:36

Fondatorul unei companii de jocuri video, obligat să plătească fostei soții despăgubiri record la un proces de divorț din Coreea de Sud

orf9 Sept, 11:01

Südkorea: Gaming-Tycoon muss Ex-Frau 1,6 Mrd. Euro zahlen

2h later

seneweb9 Sept, 12:38

Corée du Sud : un magnat des jeux vidéo condamné à céder l'équivalent de 1,5 milliard de dollars à son ex-épouse

11h later

star-malaysia9 Sept, 23:21Latest update

South Korean Gaming Tycoon Ordered to Pay Record $1.87 Billion Divorce Settlement

Why this matters

The Story

What sources agree on

Key claims4 agreed · 1 disputed

Where they diverge

Coverage matrix(16 sources)

The Story

Source Diversity

Source Diversity

Political spectrum

Sources

Tycoon to pay ex-wife $1.87bn in record South Korea divorce settlement

Tycoon to pay ex-wife $1.87bn in record South Korea divorce settlement

Smilegate founder ordered by Seoul court to pay record $1.89 billion in divorce, report says - The Straits Times

South Korean Video Game Tycoon To Pay Record $1.5 Billion In Divorce

Smilegate founder ordered to transfer 35% stake in record divorce ruling

Court orders Smilegate founder to pay wife record 2.55 tln won in divorce

South Korea video game tycoon to pay record US$1.5 billion in divorce

Video game tycoon to pay US$1.5bil in divorce - The Star

Tycoon to pay ex-wife $1.87bn in record South Korea divorce settlement

Coverage Timeline

Smilegate founder ordered by Seoul court to pay record $1.89 billion in divorce, report says - The Straits Times

Smilegate founder ordered to transfer 35% stake in record divorce ruling

Le magnat sud-coréen du jeu vidéo Kwon Hyuk-bin condamné à verser 1,5 milliard d’euros à son ex-épouse

South Korea video game tycoon to pay record US$1.5 billion in divorce

South Korean Video Game Tycoon To Pay Record $1.5 Billion In Divorce

Court orders Smilegate founder to pay wife record 2.55 tln won in divorce

Tycoon to pay ex-wife $1.87bn in record South Korea divorce settlement

Tycoon to pay ex-wife $1.87bn in record South Korea divorce settlement

Najbogatiji Južnokorejac ostaje bez 35 posto kompanije, bivšoj supruzi mora isplatiti 1,87 milijardi dolara

Južnokorejski milijarder mora bivšoj supruzi isplatiti 1,5 milijardi dolara

Tycoon to pay ex-wife $1.87bn in record South Korea divorce settlement

Južnokorejski bogataš mora bivšoj supruzi isplatiti 1,5 milijardi dolara

Fondatorul unei companii de jocuri video, obligat să plătească fostei soții despăgubiri record la un proces de divorț din Coreea de Sud

Südkorea: Gaming-Tycoon muss Ex-Frau 1,6 Mrd. Euro zahlen

Corée du Sud : un magnat des jeux vidéo condamné à céder l'équivalent de 1,5 milliard de dollars à son ex-épouse

Video game tycoon to pay US$1.5bil in divorce - The Star

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Why this matters

The Story

What sources agree on

Key claims4 agreed · 1 disputed

Where they diverge

Coverage matrix(16 sources)

Political spectrum