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Seoul Court Detains Ex-First Lady Kim Keon Hee in Solitary Over Evidence-Tampering Fears

The warrant underscores prosecutors’ concerns about preserving key documents as their special counsel drives a graft probe spanning stock manipulation, bribery and electoral interference

South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon Hee, wife of impeached former president Yoon Suk Yeol, arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review her arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors at the Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea August 12, 2025. JUNG YEON-JE/Pool via REUTERS
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South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon Hee, wife of impeached former president Yoon Suk Yeol, arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review her arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors at the Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea August 12, 2025. JUNG YEON-JE/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
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Overview

  • The Seoul Central District Court granted an arrest warrant late Aug. 12 on charges under the Capital Market Act, Political Funds Act and a bribery-mediation law, citing risks that Kim could destroy or tamper with evidence.
  • Kim was moved to Seoul Southern (Nambu) Detention Center in Guro District and placed in a solitary cell separate from her husband, former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
  • Special Counsel Min Joong-ki’s team is investigating 16 allegations against Kim, including a Deutsch Motors stock-price scheme, luxury gifts routed through Unification Church intermediaries and meddling in candidate nominations.
  • Investigators have conducted raids on Seohee Construction, seized luxury-goods purchase records and pursued phone forensics as part of an escalating evidence-gathering effort.
  • Kim’s detention marks the first time in South Korea’s history that both members of a former presidential couple are jailed simultaneously, amplifying the political and institutional stakes of the probe.