Namyang Dairy Heiress Hwang Ha-na Indicted Under Arrest for Methamphetamine Offenses

Hwang Hana, the granddaughter of the founder of Namyang Dairy Products, has been arrested and charged after fleeing abroad to escape drug-related investigations.

The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office in Anyang announced on the 20th that Hwang Hana was indicted for violating the Narcotics Control Act.

Hwang is accused of injecting methamphetamine into two acquaintances at an apartment in Gangnam, Seoul, in July 2023. When police began searching her accomplice's residence, she immediately fled to Thailand. Despite her passport being invalidated and an Interpol Red Notice issued, she did not return to Korea and instead illegally entered Cambodia from Thailand.

While on the run, Hwang expressed her intention to surrender at the end of last year and was arrested by police while boarding a national flight at Phnom Penh International Airport. She denies the charges, claiming she was merely present at the scene and did not partake in drug use.

However, prosecutors have gathered evidence, including witness testimonies and recorded phone calls, suggesting that Hwang actively encouraged her accomplices to use drugs and personally administered the injections.

Hwang was previously charged in 2015 for using methamphetamine three times at her home in Seoul and received a one-year prison sentence with a two-year probation in 2019. She was later sentenced to an additional 1 year and 8 months for drug use during her probation period.

By Yeji Ryu, TenAsia Reporter ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr