Hwang Ha-na, the granddaughter of the founder of South Korea food and beverage company Namyang Dairy Products, was arrested in Cambodia after being on the run for over a year. According to South Korean news outlet OSEN, the Gyeonggi Gwacheon Police Station in Seoul announced on Dec. 24 that Hwang had been taken into custody on suspicion of violating the Narcotics Control Act. Investigations are currently ongoing. Korea JoongAng Daily reported that Hwang is accused of administering methamphetamine to two acquaintances in the Gangnam district in July 2023. According to the police, further investigation is required to determine the full scope of the alleged offences. Hwang reportedly left South Korea for Thailand in December 2023 while under police investigation. As authorities were unable to locate her, they requested an Interpol blue notice in May 2024 and invalidated her passport. Police believe Hwang later entered Cambodia illegally and remained there for several months. Cambodian immigration authorities had no record of her entry, a police spokesperson said. Her whereabouts surfaced intermittently in entertainment media, and she drew renewed public attention in October 2024 following claims she was living lavishly in Cambodia. Hwang’s lawyer recently informed authorities that she intended to appear for questioning voluntarily, and police quickly moved to arrest her, Korea JoongAng Daily reported. Police revealed that investigators travelled to Cambodia, coordinated with a Korean consular representative and took Hwang into custody before executing an arrest warrant aboard a Korean aircraft at Phnom Penh International Airport. Hwang arrived in South Korea on Dec. 24 and is currently undergoing questioning. Hwang previously drew public attention as the former partner of singer-actor Park Yucheon, who had received a suspended sentence in 2019 for using methamphetamine together with her. She was previously also caught for using methamphetamine on three occasions between May and September 2015. In 2020, she was convicted of using drugs again while on probation, and was subsequently jailed for one year and eight months. Top photos via Sin Chew Daily
♬ The Drugs Don’t Work – The Verve
