Kim Gunhee Awaits Detention Decision at Seoul Southern Detention Center
Special Prosecutor Cites High Risk of Evidence Destruction
First-Ever Simultaneous Detention of Former Presidential Couple Possible
The court hearing to determine whether Kim Gunhee, who faces charges including stock price manipulation, will be detained has concluded. Kim is expected to wait for the outcome at the Seoul Southern Detention Center, rather than the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, where former President Yoon Seokyeol is being held. The result of the warrant hearing is expected to be announced late tonight or in the early hours of the following day.
Kim Gunhee, wife of former President Yoon Seokyeol, who is accused of violating the Capital Markets and Financial Investment Business Act, the Political Funds Act, and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (Receiving Bribes), is attending a pre-arrest detention hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the morning of August 12, 2025. Photo by Joint Press Corps
Judge Jeong Jaeuk, the presiding judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, concluded the warrant review for Kim at approximately 2:35 p.m. on August 12. The hearing, which began at 10:10 a.m., lasted about four hours and 25 minutes.
Kim will be transferred to the Seoul Southern Detention Center in Guro-gu, where she will wait for the decision in a detainee holding cell. She was initially scheduled to be taken to the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, but the special prosecutor's team requested the court the previous day to change the place of detention to the Seoul Southern Detention Center. Former President Yoon is currently being held at the Seoul Detention Center.
The special prosecutor's team reportedly emphasized the necessity of Kim's detention during a two-hour and 50-minute argument, focusing on the high risk of evidence destruction, as Kim denied all charges during her face-to-face questioning on August 6. A significant portion of the 847-page detention opinion submitted to the court in two installments was also devoted to concerns about evidence destruction.
In response, Kim's legal team is said to have argued for about an hour and 30 minutes, stressing that she faithfully complied with summons for questioning, has no reason to flee, and is in poor health.
If a detention warrant is issued, Kim will immediately begin the process of being held as an unconvicted detainee. Should the warrant be granted, it would mark the first time in the nation's constitutional history that a former presidential couple is detained simultaneously.
If the special prosecutor's team succeeds in securing Kim's custody, it will gain investigative momentum. However, if the request is denied, the team is likely to face backlash for having filed the warrant application prematurely.
Previously, on August 7, the special prosecutor's team requested a detention warrant for Kim on charges of violating the Capital Markets Act, the Political Funds Act, and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (Receiving Bribes). These charges are related to the alleged stock price manipulation involving Deutsche Motors, alleged intervention in candidate nominations involving Myung Taegyun, and alleged solicitation involving Geonjin Bopsa.
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