Ex-first lady Kim Keon Hee's detention hearing concludes after just four hours

Kim Keon Hee, wife of ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol, faces potential pretrial detention as her court hearing concludes, amid charges of multiple violations related to alleged corruption and bribery.

Former First Lady Kim Keon Hee leaves the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, after her pretrial detention hearing ends on Aug. 12 afternoon. [NEWS1]

Kim Keon Hee, wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, made a four-hour appearance in court on Tuesday afternoon and, as of press time, awaits a judge's ruling on whether she will be arrested and taken into pretrial custody.

The Seoul Central District Court’s warrant division concluded Kim’s detention hearing at around 2:35 p.m., roughly four hours and 25 minutes after it began. Yoon's hearing last month, in the same courtroom, lasted six hours and 40 minutes.

The court is expected to deliver a ruling late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Kim will remain in a holding cell at the Southern Detention Center until the decision is announced.

Kim was originally to be sent to the Seoul Detention Center, but the court changed the location at the special counsel team's request. Yoon is currently at the Seoul Detention Center.

During Tuesday’s hearing, the special counsel, in its two-hour and 50-minute argument, emphasized the risk of evidence destruction, pointing to Kim’s complete denial of all charges during questioning on Aug. 6. Their written opinion, totaling 847 pages across two submissions, also devoted substantial space to the likelihood of evidence tampering.

Former First Lady Kim Keon Hee leaves the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, after her pretrial detention hearing ends on Aug. 12 afternoon. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Former First Lady Kim Keon Hee leaves the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, after her pretrial detention hearing ends on Aug. 12 afternoon. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Kim’s defense said the former first lady had fully complied with the summons, had no reason to flee and was in poor health. The legal team submitted an 80-page presentation, a 60-page written opinion, about 20 pages of reference materials and a medical diagnosis from her hospital.

If the court orders Kim detained pending trial, she and Yoon will be the first presidential couple in Korea’s constitutional history to be in custody at the same time. Securing Kim would also give momentum to the special counsel’s investigation.

If Kim walks free, the special counsel team is expected to pause, review the status of the investigation and consider whether to request her arrest and detention again.

Kim faces charges of violating the Capital Markets Act and the Political Funds Act, receiving bribes under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, related respectively to alleged stock manipulation involving Deutsch Motors, alleged interference in a nomination by Myung Tae-kyun and alleged solicitation involving shaman Geon Jin.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom staff. BY MOON SANG-HYEOK [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]