AI Chip Boom Widens South Korea’s Wealth Gap, Raises Stakes in SK Chairman’s Divorce
The global expansion of generative AI has fueled demand for high-bandwidth memory, a market dominated by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. The two companies’ combined operating profit is projected to increase nearly sevenfold in 2026. The gains, however, are concentrated in the chip industry: SK hynix paid bonuses worth nearly 3,000% of monthly salaries at the start of the year, while the income gap between South Korea’s richest and poorest households widened to a six-year high. The fair distribution of the AI boom’s benefits has consequently become a policy dispute.
Mediation between SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and his former wife, Roh Soh-yeong, broke down on June 15, 2026. The Seoul High Court resumed hearings on June 26 and is scheduled to rule on July 24. The dispute centers on whether Chey’s 17.9% stake in SK Inc. should be valued at 149,500 won per share, its price on April 16, 2024, or at 815,000 won, its price on June 26. The original property division award of 1.38 trillion won could be revised.
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The history behind this eventChey Keeps SK Stake After $643 Million Cash Divorce Award
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won's divorce from Roh Soh-yeong has carried implications beyond a family dispute because much of his wealth is tied to SK Inc., the holding company at the top of the conglomerate. Investors had feared a large property award could force a stock sale and unsettle the ownership chain through SK Square to SK hynix, a key supplier of high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, used with Nvidia's artificial-intelligence processors.
The Seoul High Court on July 24 ordered Chey to pay Roh 944 billion won, or about $643 million, in cash while allowing him to retain all of his SK Inc. shares. The award was below the 1.38 trillion won ordered in 2024, easing concern over a forced share disposal and a possible challenge to group control. Attention now shifts to SK hynix's second-quarter results on July 29 and its capacity outlook for premium HBM chips as AI demand strains supply.
AI Chip Bonuses Spill Over Into South Korea’s Housing Market
Demand for high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, from AI data centers has pushed profits at Nvidia suppliers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to record highs, helping the Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or KOSPI, nearly triple within 12 months. Employee bonuses and stock-market gains are being converted into home down payments, spreading the chip boom from financial markets to Seoul and semiconductor hubs while widening disparities in wealth and housing affordability.
Samsung’s union and management reached an agreement in May 2026 under which employees are expected to receive average bonuses of 600 million won in early 2027. SK hynix pledged to allocate 10% of its 2026 operating profit, with brokerages estimating that each employee would receive at least 400 million won. KB Real Estate data for June showed that the average price of a three-bedroom home at Dongtan Lotte Castle in Hwaseong was 1.6 billion won, up 28% from a year earlier. The average price across 11 prime Seoul districts reached 1.96 billion won in May, up from 1.68 billion won a year earlier, while transaction volume doubled over six months to 8,245 deals.
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