Founder of Smilegate appeals divorce ruling

Smilegate founder Kwon Hyuk-bin has appealed a Seoul Family Court ruling ordering him to pay his wife 2.55 trillion won in a divorce case. The ruling, issued on Sept. 9, included a 35 percent stake in Smilegate and was described as possibly the nation’s record-high property division in a divorce lawsuit. Kwon’s lawyers said he is appealing while seeking to restore the marital relationship.

Kwon’s wife, identified by her surname Lee, filed for divorce in November 2022.

The Seoul Family Court ordered the payout on Sept. 9, including a 35 percent stake in Smilegate.

Kwon’s lawyers said Lee made little contribution to the marital assets.

Kwon and Lee began living separately in 2020, and Lee claimed Kwon neglected his family responsibilities.

Published Sep 28, 2026 10:23 pm KST

Kwon Hyuk-bin, the founder of video game company Smilegate / Yonhap

Kwon Hyuk-bin, the founder of video game company Smilegate, has appealed against a court ruling that ordered him to pay his wife 2.55 trillion won ($1.87 billion) in a divorce lawsuit, according to his lawyers Monday.

The appeal came after the Seoul Family Court issued the ruling on Sept. 9, in what could be a record-high property division in the nation's divorce lawsuit.

According to the lawyers, Kwon appealed against the ruling as he seeks to make efforts to restore the marital relationship.

Kwon's wife, identified only by her surname Lee, filed the divorce lawsuit in November 2022.

The court ordered the payout, including a 35 percent stake in Smilegate, to Lee as part of the division of marital assets. The firm is 100 percent owned by Kwon.

However, Kwon's lawyers claimed that Lee had made little contribution in the marital assets.

Born in 1974, Kwon graduated from Sogang University's Department of Electronic Engineering in 1999 and married Lee in 2001. He founded Smilegate the following year. He became the chairman of the Smilegate Hope Studio, a public interest foundation, in 2012 and the chief visionary officer of Smilegate Holdings in 2020.

The couple began living separately in 2020, and Lee filed for divorce two years later, claiming that Kwon had neglected his family responsibilities.

Lee sought half of Kwon's Smilegate shares, claiming she had held a 30 percent stake in the company in its early years.

But Kwon has maintained that he bears no fault for the breakdown of their marriage and does not wish to divorce. He also argued that Lee cannot be considered a co-founder, as she neither invested capital in nor worked for the company.

Smilegate创始人权赫彬已就首尔家庭法院判决其在离婚案中向妻子支付2.55万亿韩元的裁决提出上诉。该判决于9月9日作出，涉及Smilegate 35%的股份，被认为是韩国离婚诉讼中财产分割金额最高的案例。权赫彬的律师表示，他正在上诉，同时也在寻求恢复婚姻关系。

权某的妻子，姓李，于 2022 年 11 月提出离婚。

首尔家庭法院于 9 月 9 日下令支付赔偿金，其中包括 Smilegate 35% 的股份。

权某的律师表示，李某对夫妻共同财产的贡献很小。

权和李于 2020 年开始分居，李声称权忽视了家庭责任。

发布于2026年9月28日晚上10:23（韩国标准时间）

权赫彬，Smilegate游戏公司创始人 / 韩联社

据其律师周一透露，视频游戏公司 Smilegate 的创始人权赫彬已就法院判决向其妻子支付 2.55 万亿韩元（18.7 亿美元）的离婚赔偿金提出上诉。

此前，首尔家庭法院于 9 月 9 日作出裁决，该裁决可能创下韩国离婚诉讼中财产分割金额的最高纪录。随后，上诉方提起上诉。

据律师称，权某已就该判决提出上诉，以期努力恢复婚姻关系。

权某的妻子，仅以姓氏李某指代，于 2022 年 11 月提起离婚诉讼。

法院裁定，作为夫妻共同财产分割的一部分，李某应获得包括Smilegate公司35%股份在内的赔偿。该公司由权某全资拥有。

然而，权某的律师声称李某对夫妻共同财产的贡献甚微。

权志强1974年出生，1999年毕业于西江大学电子工程系，2001年与李女士结婚。次年，他创立了Smilegate公司。2012年，他成为公益基金会Smilegate Hope Studio的董事长，2020年成为Smilegate Holdings的首席愿景官。

这对夫妇于 2020 年开始分居，两年后李提出离婚，声称权疏忽了家庭责任。

李某要求获得权某在 Smilegate 的一半股份，声称权某在公司成立初期持有 30% 的股份。

但权先生坚称自己对婚姻破裂没有任何过错，也不想离婚。他还辩称，李女士不能被视为联合创始人，因为她既没有投资公司，也没有在公司工作。