Supreme Court Extends Kim Keon-hee's Detention by 2 Months, Citing "Risk of Destroying Evidence or Fleeing" (Comprehensive)

Kim Keon-hee: "Given Yoon's character, asking him to make personnel appointments is out of the question"
Special Counsel Seeks Additional Detention Warrant Amid Concerns She Could Be Released

The Supreme Court has extended Kim Keon-hee's detention.

Yonhap News

The Supreme Court's Second Division, with Justice Oh Kyung-mi presiding, held a hearing on Kim's detention warrant on the afternoon of October 27 and issued the warrant, citing concerns that she might destroy evidence or flee. Kim's detention, which was due to expire on October 31, has been extended by two months.

The detention hearing ran from 2:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. and lasted approximately 15 minutes. During the hearing, which Kim attended by video that day, she spoke directly for approximately 15 minutes and pleaded her innocence. Denying the allegations, Kim said, "President Yoon Suk Yeol is such an upright man who follows principles. Why would he leave personnel appointments to me?" She added, "Given the President's character, it would be impossible for him to accept something in return for a request to make an appointment."

Her legal team said, "Kim's health has deteriorated to the point that medical staff at the detention center asked her, 'How are you standing with a body like this?' We also explained that she has suffered extreme mental distress for a long time due to the spread of false information and political attacks, including the so-called 'Julie' allegations, and has taken psychiatric medication for an extended period."

The special counsel team reportedly stressed that there was a risk Kim might flee because a lower court had sentenced her to a lengthy prison term, and that there was a risk of evidence destruction because evidence would need to be examined again if the Supreme Court were to overturn the case and remand it.

Kim was indicted and detained in August 2025 by the special counsel team led by Min Joong-ki in connection with three major allegations: stock-price manipulation involving Deutsche Motors, opinion polls involving Myung Tae-gyun, and the receipt of money and valuables from the Unification Church.

She was sentenced to four years in prison in the second trial on April 28, 2026. However, the Supreme Court's decision on the final appeal was delayed after the court referred the case to its en banc panel to review the allegations concerning opinion polls involving Myung Tae-gyun.

As it became unlikely that a ruling would be issued before her detention expired, the special counsel team asked the Supreme Court panel hearing the final appeal in the office-selling case to issue an additional detention warrant on October 15 to prevent Kim from being released.

Earlier, in the so-called office-selling case, in which Kim was accused of receiving expensive jewelry in exchange for various requests related to personnel appointments and business favors, she was sentenced to five years in prison in the second trial.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.