SEOUL, June 20 (Reuters) - The South Korean government has been ordered to pay hedge fund Elliott about $108.5 million, Elliott and the Ministry of Justice said on Tuesday, in an dispute settlement case stemming from the 2015 merger of two Samsung (005930.KS) affiliates. Elliott was a minority stakeholder in Samsung C&T and opposed the deal, deeming the terms of the merger unduly unfavourable to the company. The NPS, which approved the merger, held a larger stake in Samsung C&T and was viewed as a casting vote. The arbitration tribunal ordered the South Korean government to pay Elliott about $53.6 million in damages, plus delayed interest, as well as $28.9 million in legal fees, the justice ministry said, without elaborating. Elliott welcomed the decision in a statement, and urged South Korea to "pay the ultimate award rather than pursue baseless legal proceedings to challenge the Tribunal's decision".

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Persons: Elliott, Moon Hyung, Park, hye, Joyce Lee, Sandra Maler Organizations: South, Ministry of Justice, Samsung, Elliott Investment, South Korean, Cheil Industries, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, The Hague, U.S, South, South Korea