A court on Thursday ordered SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won's cohabitant to pay compensation of 2 billion won (US$1.5 million) to Chey's estranged wife, Roh Soh-yeong, for ruining their marriage.The Seoul Family Court made the ruling in a lawsuit filed by Roh last year against Kim Hee-young, the SK chief's new partner who is now serving as the chair of T and C Foundation, separately from her ongoing divorce proceedings against Chey.The court ruled that Kim and Chey should together pay the solatium to Roh, saying it is acknowledged that the defendant's misconduct committed with Chey, extramarital birth and public activities damaged the fundamental relationship of trust between Roh and Chey and led to the breakdown of their marriage.Roh launched the lawsuit in March last year and demanded a solatium of 3 billion won, arguing Kim ruined her marriage, causing her intense mental suffering. Roh also accused Kim of actively approaching Chey under the pretext of counseling, pretending to be his spouse at offici al events and giving birth to a child out of wedlock.But Kim's side claimed that Roh filed the compensation suit with an intention to gain an advantageous position in her divorce proceedings and their marriage had already broken down for over a decade.Shortly after the ruling, Kim's side said she will not appeal the court's decision and issued an apology to Roh.Meanwhile, the divorce suit between Chey and Roh is now pending in the Supreme Court after the Seoul High Court ordered the SK chair in May this year to pay 1.38 trillion won in property division and a solatium of 2 billion won to Roh in the country's most expensive divorce suit in history.Source: Yonhap News Agency