[Edaily Reporter LEE JI-EUN ] Special Prosecutor Min Jung-ki’s team has requested that the Supreme Court issue an additional arrest warrant for First Lady Kim Keon-hee, whose current detention period is set to expire at the end of this month.

In a press release issued today, the special counsel’s team stated, “As the detention period for defendant Kim Geon-hee is nearing its end, we believe there is a need to continue her detention. Therefore, we have submitted a request to the court hearing the case involving violations of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (brokerage bribery) to issue a detention warrant on its own motion.”

This request is not intended to extend the detention period for the case under which Ms. Kim is currently being held, but rather to seek a new arrest warrant in the bribery case, for which an appeal is currently pending.

Mr. Kim is currently on trial before the Supreme Court while in custody on charges related to the so-called “three major allegations”: stock price manipulation at Deutsch Motors, the provision of free opinion polls by Myung Tae-kyun, and the acceptance of money and valuables from the Unification Church. The detention period for this case is scheduled to expire on the 31st. On the 29th of last month, the Supreme Court referred the case to its Full Bench and held its first hearing, but has not yet set a date for the verdict.

Consequently, concerns have been raised that Mr. Kim could be released if the Supreme Court does not issue a final ruling before the detention period expires. It is understood that the special counsel’s team has determined it necessary to maintain his detention in a separate case in preparation for this possibility.

The case for which the special counsel has now requested a detention warrant is the so-called “sale of public office” case, alleging that Kim accepted high-value gifts in exchange for favors regarding public appointments or business advantages during the presidency of Yoon Suk-yeol. The first-instance court sentenced him to seven years in prison, but on the 22nd of last month, the appellate court overturned some of the charges and reduced the sentence to five years. Both Mr. Kim’s legal team and the special counsel have filed appeals, and the case is currently pending before the Supreme Court.

In deciding whether to issue an arrest warrant, the Supreme Court will comprehensively assess the necessity of detention—including the strength of the evidence supporting the criminal charges, as well as concerns regarding flight risk and the destruction of evidence. If an additional arrest warrant is issued, Mr. Kim could remain in custody for the appeal trial based on the bribery case, even after the detention periods for the three previous allegations have expired.