Hwang Hana Acquitted of Drug Use, Found Guilty of Fleeing Country

Hwang Hana, the granddaughter of Namyang Dairy's founder, has been released after a court found her guilty of fleeing the country while under investigation for drug offenses, but acquitted her of the main charge of drug use.

The Suwon District Court's Anyang branch sentenced Hwang, 38, to a 40 million won fine and ordered a 20,000 won forfeiture. She was taken into custody previously and was released upon the sentencing. Prosecutors had sought a five-year prison sentence.

The court determined that the prosecution's evidence was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hwang had directly administered methamphetamine or caused others to use it. "The testimonies of the acquaintances present at the time were conflicting and did not align with the defendant's statements," the court stated, adding that "objective drug test results also lacked clear evidence to prove the charges."

However, the court found Hwang guilty of fleeing the country after becoming a suspect, acknowledging her escape to Thailand and subsequent illegal entry into Cambodia while her passport was invalidated and an international arrest warrant was issued. Hwang had voluntarily surrendered to police in late December. This is not Hwang's first encounter with the law; she previously received a suspended prison sentence in 2019 for drug use and was later sentenced to 1 year and 8 months in prison for using drugs again during her probation period.