“Caught a robber, then accused of attempted murder”... Robber in Nana case additionally indicted for false accusation

[Financial News]  Actress Nana (real name Im Jin-ah), a former member of the group After School, was reportedly threatened with a weapon and injured by a robber who broke into her home, and was then also the subject of a counter-complaint accusing her of attempted murder. Police recognized Nana’s actions as self-defense, and the robber was additionally indicted on a charge of making a false accusation.
On the 21st, her agency, Sublime Artist Agency, said in an official statement that Nana and her mother had been victimized by a robber who broke into their home last November.
The agency said, “Our artist Nana and her mother suffered serious harm at the hands of a robber who broke into their home last November while carrying a weapon,” adding, “A thorough investigation by law enforcement established the facts of the crime, and the court of first instance also found the defendant guilty of robbery causing injury.”
The robbery took place at Nana’s home in Acheon-dong, Guri, Gyeonggi Province. In the early hours of November 15 last year, a man in his 30s, identified as A, broke into the house carrying a weapon, threatened Nana and her mother, and demanded valuables.
The mother and daughter grappled with A, eventually subdued him, and handed him over to police. In the process, Nana sustained injuries requiring 33 days of treatment, while her mother sustained injuries requiring 31 days.
However, A said that he, too, had been injured during the struggle and filed a complaint against Nana on charges of attempted murder and special bodily injury.
Police determined that Nana’s actions at the time constituted self-defense against the robber. They therefore decided not to refer either the attempted-murder or special-bodily-injury charge to prosecutors, finding no grounds for suspicion.
Nana’s side also filed a complaint against A for making a false accusation and took legal action. After interviewing witnesses and conducting digital forensic analysis of a mobile phone, among other steps, prosecutors concluded that the claims in A’s complaint were clearly false.
A was ultimately sent to trial not only on the existing charge of robbery causing injury but also on the charge of making a false accusation.
The agency claimed that A continued to deny his crimes and cause suffering to the victims even after he was taken into custody and jailed.
According to Sublime Artist Agency, A repeatedly claimed, “I did not come in carrying a weapon.” The agency said he continued sending letters to broadcasters and media outlets pleading that he had been wronged, thereby spreading claims that did not match the facts.
A’s past criminal record also came to light during the trial. The prosecutor in charge strongly criticized A’s criminal history and attitude.
“Over the course of some 20 years, I have met tens of thousands of criminals, but it is rare to see someone who has committed such a wide variety of crimes as the defendant,” the prosecutor said. “He fundamentally lacks respect for the law, does not know how to reflect on his own wrongdoing, and is also very adept at telling deliberate lies.”
Last June, the First Criminal Division of the Namyangju Branch of the Uijeongbu District Court found A guilty of robbery causing injury and sentenced him to seven years in prison.
The prosecution and A both appealed, and the case proceeded to a second trial. At the appeal, prosecutors sought a 10-year prison sentence for A.
The appellate ruling on the robbery-causing-injury charge is scheduled for the 22nd. The false-accusation charge, for which prosecutors brought an additional indictment, is being heard in a separate trial.
Sublime Artist Agency said it would continue to take action to prevent further harm to Nana and her family. It specifically expressed concern about the possibility of retaliation and reoffending by A.
The agency said, “From the day of the incident to the present, not only the victims but our agency as well have been seriously concerned about the unrepentant defendant’s potential for retaliation or reoffending,” adding, “We will do everything we can to protect the safety and mental and physical well-being of our artist and her family, so that they no longer suffer from false claims and secondary victimization.”


[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter