A Seoul court on Wednesday extended the suspension of imprisonment of disgraced Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn by another four months, citing his poor health, court officials said.

The custody suspension of Kim, who has been staying at a Seoul hospital after being temporarily released from prison in January, will be extended until Feb. 28, said the officials at the Seoul High Court.

The 61-year-old tycoon, who is charged with embezzlement, will stand a retrial without physical detention, they added.

On Sept. 26, the Supreme Court remanded Kim's case to the Seoul High Court, saying that it should reconsider its verdict of a three-year prison term and a fine of 5.1 billion won ($4.51 million) slapped on Kim. It said the appellate court did not properly judge some of the charges against him.

After serving about six months in prison, the chairman was released from jail in January after the court accepted his request to temporarily suspend his sentence.

The suspension of imprisonment was again extended in March, May and then in August.

The businessman currently suffers from respiratory problems and manic-depressive illness, the officials said

Upholding the lower court's verdict, a Seoul appellate court in April found him guilty of the charges but commuted his prison term to three years. Following the verdict, the chairman appealed the three-year prison sentence to the Supreme Court. (Yonhap News)