Celebrity drug cases could resurface as Hwang Hana reportedly names entertainers
Hwang Hana / Yonhap
Concerns of another celebrity drug scandal are resurfacing in South Korea after Hwang Hana, a former girlfriend of singer Park Yoo-chun, was indicted on drug charges and reportedly mentioned other entertainers during questioning.
Hwang, 37, the granddaughter of the founder of Namyang Dairy Products, was formally indicted and detained on Jan. 20 for violations of the Narcotics Control Act, according to the Anyang branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office.
Prosecutors said Hwang is accused of encouraging two acquaintances to use methamphetamine at an apartment in Seoul’s Gangnam district in July 2023 and personally administering the drug via injection.
After police began searching one of her alleged accomplices, Hwang left South Korea for Thailand the following day. Despite later learning that her passport had been invalidated and that she was under an Interpol red notice, she did not return, instead entering Cambodia illegally, prosecutors said.
Hwang remained abroad until late last year, when she signaled her intention to surrender. She was arrested by police aboard a South Korean aircraft at Phnom Penh International Airport.
Investigators also said they confirmed circumstances in which Hwang attempted to persuade alleged accomplices to provide statements favorable to her case. Prosecutors said she contacted them asking for “helpful testimony.”
Shortly after her arrest, Hwang submitted written statements and recordings through her lawyer in which accomplices reportedly reversed earlier testimonies. However, prosecutors said follow-up investigations found the revised statements to be entirely false. One accomplice reportedly told prosecutors that they received retaliatory messages from Hwang.
Hwang has denied the charges, saying she was merely present at the scene and did not administer drugs.
Hwang Hana / Xportsnews
Journalist Oh Hyuk-jin, who has been covering the investigation, drew attention after claiming that Hwang mentioned the names of multiple entertainers during questioning. Speaking on the YouTube channel Jirit Jirit, Oh said investigators appeared to have identified specific times and locations of drug use, even if physical evidence was limited.
Oh said that to his knowledge, Hwang provided investigators with the names of several entertainers, including both men and women. “It seems she may believe that disclosing others’ crimes could help reduce her sentence, and that she chose to name individuals for whom evidence may already exist.”
If those claims are substantiated, the entertainment industry could once again be shaken by a large-scale drug investigation, observers say.
Hwang has a history of drug-related convictions. In 2019, she received a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, after being found guilty of using methamphetamine multiple times between May and September 2015 with acquaintances, including her then-boyfriend Park. She was later sentenced to an additional one year and eight months in prison for using drugs again during her probation period.
Before returning to South Korea, Hwang was reported to have lived a lavish lifestyle in Thailand and Cambodia while on the run. Reports also said she gave birth during that time.
This article from Xportsnews is adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.