Granddaughter of Namyang Dairy's founder who was on the run appears in court for pretrial hearing
Published: 26 Dec. 2025, 12:58
![Hwang Ha-na, the granddaughter of the founder of Namyang Dairy Products, is seen in front of the Anyang branch of the Suwon District Court to attend a warrant hearing on Dec. 26. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/26/b0ba1d84-46e7-4582-93f2-cce277358576.jpg)
Hwang Ha-na, the granddaughter of the founder of Namyang Dairy Products, is seen in front of the Anyang branch of the Suwon District Court to attend a warrant hearing on Dec. 26. [YONHAP]
Hwang Ha-na, the granddaughter of the founder of Namyang Dairy Products, appeared in court on Friday for a pretrial detention hearing after being arrested overseas while on the run amid a drug investigation.
Hwang, who had been held at the Anyang Dongan Police Precinct in Gyeonggi, arrived in a police transport vehicle at the Anyang branch of the Suwon District Court at around 10:30 a.m. on Friday. Hwang is accused of administering methamphetamine to two acquaintances using syringes in Seoul’s Gangnam District in July 2023.
Hwang wore a thick gray padded jacket and covered her face with the jacket’s hood and a white mask.
Hwang remained silent when reporters asked, “Do you admit to the charges?” “Did you use drugs in Thailand or Cambodia?” “Did you flee to avoid the investigation?” and “How did you obtain the drugs?” before entering the courthouse.
This marked Hwang’s first public appearance in nearly three years. She had appeared on an entertainment program after being released from prison at the end of 2022.
The court began the pretrial arrest warrant hearing for Hwang, who is accused of violating the Narcotics Control Act, at around 11 a.m. A decision regarding whether to issue an arrest warrant is expected later on Friday.
After becoming the subject of a police investigation over the drug allegations, Hwang fled to Thailand in December 2023. She is believed to have later entered Cambodia illegally through unknown means.
![Hwang Ha-na, the granddaughter of the founder of Namyang Dairy Products, is seen in front of the Suwon Nambu Police Precinct on April 12, 2019. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/26/dc58ebf1-5d11-4381-88fb-7579e18a7d91.jpg)
Hwang Ha-na, the granddaughter of the founder of Namyang Dairy Products, is seen in front of the Suwon Nambu Police Precinct on April 12, 2019. [YONHAP]
Her overseas flight stalled the investigation, leading police to invalidate her passport and request an Interpol Blue Notice in May last year to locate her.
Hwang’s lawyer recently informed police that she intended to voluntary appear in court. Police traveled to Cambodia, took custody of Hwang and executed an arrest warrant aboard a Korean Air flight at Phnom Penh International Airport.
Police plan to determine the full circumstances surrounding the alleged drug use, including how the drugs were obtained and if Hwang committed any illegal acts while overseas.
Hwang previously drew public attention as the granddaughter of Namyang Dairy Products’ founder and as the former partner of singer and actor Park Yoo-chun, a former member of boy band TVXQ.
Hwang was sentenced in 2019 to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for using methamphetamine three times at a residence in Seoul between May and September 2015. In 2016, Hwang was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison for using drugs during the probation period.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)