S. Korea's top court extends detention of ex-first lady

SEOUL - South Korea's top court on Tuesday approved a two-month extension for the detention of Kim Keon-hee, wife of former president Yoon Suk-yeol, keeping her in custody by the end of this year amid legal battles over multiple corruption scandals.

The Supreme Court issued the new detention warrant, citing concerns that Kim might destroy evidence or attempt to flee if released. Kim's initial detention period was originally scheduled to expire by the end of this month.

The team of Min Joong-ki, special counsel who led investigations into corruption allegations involving the former presidential couple, argued that Kim posed a significant flight risk given her hefty prison sentences in lower courts.

Kim was indicted while in detention in August 2025 for three major corruption allegations, including stock price manipulation, the receipt of tailored opinion polls, and the illegal acceptance of valuables.

She was sentenced to four years in prison by an appellate court in April, but her final sentencing was delayed after the top court referred the opinion poll case to the full court for deeper deliberation.

The special counsel team demanded an additional detention warrant after realizing that the final verdict would not be delivered before her release date on Oct 31.

Apart from the three major scandals, Kim was also sentenced to five years in prison by an appellate court in a case where she was convicted of receiving high-priced jewelry in exchange for illicit favors.