Hwang Ha Na arrested on drug charges after overseas flight, says she returned to take responsibility for child born in Cambodia

Hwang Ha Na, the granddaughter of the founder of Namyang Dairy, has been placed under arrest after being captured following an extended period overseas while under drug-related investigation.

On December 26, Senior Judge Seo Hyo Jin of the Anyang Branch of the Suwon District Court issued an arrest warrant for Hwang Ha Na (age 37), who is accused of violating the Narcotics Control Act. Following a pre-arrest detention hearing, the court cited concerns over the potential destruction of evidence as the reason for approving the warrant.

Judge Seo reiterated during the morning hearing that there was a clear risk of evidence tampering.

According to an exclusive report by SBS, Hwang denied the allegations during the warrant review, stating that she neither used methamphetamine nor administered it to acquaintances. She reportedly told the court that she decided to return to South Korea because she wanted to take responsibility for a child she had recently given birth to in Cambodia.

Hwang is accused of administering methamphetamine via syringe to two acquaintances in Seoul in July 2023. Although she later came under police investigation, she left South Korea for Thailand in December of that year and is alleged to have continued living in hiding after illegally entering Cambodia. Police subsequently requested an Interpol Blue Notice to track her whereabouts and took steps to invalidate her passport.

After Hwang unexpectedly expressed her intention to return to South Korea, police moved forward with arrest procedures and apprehended her aboard a South Korean aircraft at Phnom Penh International Airport. She entered the country on the morning of the 24th and was transferred to Gwacheon Police Station, where she underwent questioning over two days.

Hwang Ha Na is also widely known to the public for her past relationship with singer Park Yoo Chun.