South Korea’s Supreme Court issued a new warrant for former first lady Kim Keon Hee on Tuesday, authorizing two more months in custody just days before her current term ends Saturday, The Korea Herald reported.
The Supreme Court had not yet reached a verdict in a separate case involving allegations of stock manipulation, illegal political funding and bribery, the report said. Kim’s detention began in August 2025 after allegations tied to Deutsch Motors stock activity, free opinion polls from political broker Myung Tae-kyun and valuables from the Unification Church. The warrant allows an initial two-month period, with up to three further renewals and a possible total of eight months, according to the newspaper.
At a closed hearing, the special counsel argued that Kim might flee or interfere with evidence. The Korea Herald reported that the counsel pointed to her continued denial of the charges and a five-year prison sentence in a separate influence-peddling case, saying the prospect of a lengthy prison term raised the flight risk.
Kim’s lawyers argued that keeping her in custody through a separate case would weaken the Criminal Procedure Act’s limits on pretrial detention. They said flight was unlikely and evidence tampering was less of a concern because lower courts had already reviewed the facts. Her lawyers also said she needed medical care, citing detention-center staff, the report said.
Kim appeared remotely from the Seoul Southern Detention Center, The Korea Herald reported.
