'Meal Gathering' Lawmaker Hwang Unha Investigation Closed... "Not Subject to Criminal Punishment"

Hwang Unha, member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yoon Dongju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The police have closed the preliminary investigation into the controversy surrounding Democratic Party lawmaker Hwang Un-ha's violation of COVID-19 quarantine rules.

The Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit of the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency stated on the 10th, "Lawmaker Hwang's actions are subject to a fine but cannot be subject to criminal punishment, so the preliminary investigation has been closed."

A preliminary investigation is a stage before a formal investigation, involving verifying facts to identify any charges. If charges are found, it transitions to a formal investigation; if no charges are confirmed or found, the preliminary investigation is closed.

The police began the preliminary investigation after receiving a complaint in January this year requesting a strict investigation into allegations such as violations of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act by Lawmaker Hwang.

On December 26 last year, Lawmaker Hwang had dinner at a restaurant in Jung-gu, Daejeon, with former Daejeon Mayor Yeom Hong-cheol and local economic figures. Among them, two people other than Lawmaker Hwang contracted COVID-19. At that time, the quarantine authorities classified three people at the adjacent table to Hwang's party as subjects for testing, which led some to suspect that Lawmaker Hwang and others violated the 'ban on private gatherings of five or more people' rule.

However, the Jung-gu Office of Daejeon, which conducted the on-site investigation at the time, concluded that Lawmaker Hwang's party did not violate quarantine rules and that there were no significant issues with the quarantine procedures.

Meanwhile, the police also concluded that Lawmaker Hwang did not violate the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act regarding how the meal cost, which amounted to about 150,000 won, was settled.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.