Hwang Hana Appears for Warrant Review in Silence on Drug Charges

Appearing Heavily Covered, Silent Before Reporters
First Public Appearance in Three Years

Hwang Hana (37), the granddaughter of the founder of Namyang Dairy Products, who was under investigation for drug-related charges and fled overseas before being apprehended, now faces the possibility of being detained.

On December 26 at 11:00 a.m., Hwang appeared at the Anyang Branch of Suwon District Court for a pretrial detention hearing. Having been held at the Anyang Dongan Police Station in Gyeonggi Province, she arrived at the court around 10:30 a.m. in a police transport vehicle.

Hwang Hana attending the detention hearing. Photo by Yonhap News.

Wearing a thick gray padded jacket, Hwang covered her face with the hood attached to her jacket and a white mask. She entered the courthouse without responding to reporters' questions such as "Do you admit to the charges?", "Did you use drugs in Thailand or Cambodia as well?", and "How did you obtain the drugs?"

This is the first time in about three years that Hwang has appeared in public since she was released at the end of 2022 after serving her sentence and subsequently appeared on an educational television program.

The decision regarding Hwang's detention is expected to be made later this afternoon. Police were unable to proceed with the investigation due to Hwang's escape overseas, so in May of last year, they requested a blue notice (for locating a person) from Interpol and invalidated her passport.

Afterwards, Hwang reportedly illegally entered Cambodia by unknown means and had been staying there. Recently, her attorney informed the police of her intention to voluntarily appear. The police traveled to Cambodia, took her into custody, and executed the arrest warrant aboard a Korean national airline at Phnom Penh International Airport.

The police plan to investigate in detail how Hwang administered drugs to an acquaintance and how she obtained the drugs. They also intend to look into whether she committed any illegal acts while staying overseas.

In May to September 2015, Hwang was indicted for administering methamphetamine three times at her home in Seoul and elsewhere. In 2019, she received a one-year prison sentence suspended for two years. The following year, she was again indicted for drug use during her probation period and was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison.