Seoul police have decided not to refer two employees from Hwang Hee-chan's management agency to prosecutors in a dispute over vehicle protocol services, but the case is still moving forward after the complainant objected. The Songpa Police Station said on the 9th that employees B and C were cleared, even as the complaint advanced automatically to prosecutors.
The matter has drawn attention because it sits at the center of a broader fight over what Company A says was promised and what Hwang Hee-chan's side says was agreed. Company A accused the employees of fraud, joint intimidation, obstruction of business, defamation and insult, saying Hwang had agreed in 2024 to promote the company's vehicles on social networking services in exchange for receiving vehicle protocol services.
The police decision mattered today because it removed a criminal referral at the investigation stage, even though it did not end the dispute. Company A filed complaints against the two employees on two occasions starting from the beginning of this year, and after police declined to send the case on, the objection triggered an automatic transfer to prosecutors.
Hwang's management agency said the arrangement was a legitimate bilateral contract in which protocol services were provided in return for waiving the advertising model fee, and that the deal took into account the other company's financial situation. The agency also said Hwang, a member of the Republic of Korea national football team, would focus on his responsibilities and do his best to achieve good results at the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup.
That leaves prosecutors with the next call on a dispute that has already moved through a police review and an objection process. For now, the police have rejected the complaint at their level, but the case has not been closed, and the final judgment on whether any criminal case will follow now rests with prosecutors.
