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Kim Keon Hee faces detention hearing as release deadline nears

South Korea's Supreme Court is considering whether to keep the former first lady in custody while her appeal remains unresolved.

Channel: MBCNEWS ·

South KoreaStory of October 27, 2026Trari Newsroom

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[속보] 김건희 추가 구속영장 발부.."증거 인멸·도망 염려 있어 " - [MBC 뉴스속보] MBC뉴스 2026년 10월 27일

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:07MBC reports an additional detention hearing before Kim's existing custody period expires.
0:32Kim is to participate by video from detention, with Justice Oh Kyung-mi presiding.
4:28An appellate ruling imposed five years in prison while overturning the luxury-watch conviction, MBC reports.
6:38MBC revisits the postponed Supreme Court ruling and referral to the full bench.
14:55The report compares findings concerning Kim with Yoon's first-instance conviction over opinion-poll allegations.
17:05Archive coverage revisits Kim's earlier seven-year sentence and findings concerning gifts and political appointments.

Kim Keon Hee could be released when her current detention period expires unless South Korea's Supreme Court authorizes further custody, according to South Korea's Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC).

The broadcaster reports that a detention hearing is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, October 27, with Kim participating by video from her detention center. Special prosecutors requested further detention because her existing custody period runs out at the end of the week while the court's decision remains pending.

Kim, the former first lady and wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, is at the center of several proceedings. MBC's compilation opens with the immediate custody question, then revisits the rulings and delays that have brought the case to this point. Its description identifies stock manipulation among the three broad sets of allegations behind her detention.

According to MBC, an appellate court sentenced Kim to five years in prison on bribery and influence-peddling charges, while overturning a conviction concerning a luxury watch. An earlier trial-court segment in the compilation shows a seven-year sentence involving expensive gifts and political solicitations. These are different stages of the proceedings, rather than two new sentences announced on Tuesday.

The report says the Supreme Court unexpectedly postponed its ruling and referred the case to its full bench, headed by Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae. It examines whether deliberations concerning the Myung Tae-kyun opinion-poll case can finish before Kim's custody expires.

MBC also contrasts lower-court findings concerning Kim with a first-instance ruling that found Yoon guilty as a co-conspirator over the polling allegations. Its closing segments revisit judicial findings about gifts and intervention in political appointments, including the selection of a chief of staff to the prime minister.

The immediate decision is whether Kim remains detained while the legal process continues. The opening report does not announce an outcome from Tuesday's hearing.