(2nd LD) Top court issues additional arrest warrant for jailed ex-first lady

SEOUL, Oct. 27 (Yonhap) -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a new arrest warrant for jailed former first lady Kim Keon Hee to keep her in custody for two more months, citing the risk of fleeing and destroying evidence.

The decision comes after the top court convened a hearing for Kim, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, earlier in the day to decide whether to extend her detention period set to expire Saturday.

The top court handed out the decision hours after the hearing, citing risk of flight and destruction of evidence.

Kim is currently standing trial at the Supreme Court in two separate cases -- the first on corruption charges and the other on bribery-related charges.

Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team requested the new warrant based on the second case, as her existing warrant on corruption charges will expire before a final verdict.

Kim attended the hearing virtually from the Seoul Nambu Detention Center, where she has been held since August 2025. She reportedly dismissed the allegations of accepting bribes for mediation and pleaded her innocence during the video call.

Her lawyers are known to have voiced concerns over Kim's health, including the mental toll from political attacks and prolonged intake of psychiatric drugs.

Under the Criminal Procedure Act, a defendant is subject to two months of detention, with a maximum detention period of up to six months in principle, extended twice for up to two months each.

The hearing took place as the Supreme Court is currently reviewing Kim's sentences by appellate court benches -- a four-year prison sentence in the corruption case and a five-year prison sentence in the bribery case.

The top court's proceedings for the first case have been drawn out after they were referred to its full bench in July.

The trial centers on charges that Kim was involved in a stock price manipulation scheme, accepted luxury gifts from the Unification Church and received free opinion poll results from a self-proclaimed power broker.

The second trial revolves around charges that Kim accepted expensive gifts from multiple people in return for job appointments and business favors.