Singer and actor Nana broke down in court on Tuesday while testifying against a man accused of breaking into her home in November.

The third hearing in the trial was held at the Namyangju branch of the Uijeongbu District Court. Nana and her mother appeared as witnesses.


The suspect allegedly broke into Nana’s residence in Guri, Gyeonggi, in the early hours of Nov. 15 and threatened Nana and her mother with a weapon.

“I took some medication before coming to calm myself as I’m very nervous. I’m trying to keep my emotions in check,” Nana told reporters before entering the courtroom. She added that she believes “telling the truth will lead to a fair judgment” as much as she found the need to come face to face with the suspect “absurd.”

However, the singer grew agitated as the suspect continued to deny the charges against him in court.

“Is this funny to you?” Nana shouted. “You’re walking around freely after doing something like that? Look me in the eyes. Do you really think this is a joke?”

Her outburst prompted the presiding judge to ask her to calm down, warning the proceedings could not continue otherwise.

“I understand how you feel, but the trial cannot proceed properly if you remain agitated,” the judge told the singer.

“I can’t help but be furious,” Nana said, before continuing testimony in a calmer tone.

“I heard my mother whimpering and a man breathing,” Nana recalled. “I sensed danger and stepped out quietly. When I saw what was happening, I panicked. All I could think about was separating my mother from him as quickly as possible.”

“I never imagined there would be a knife,” Nana added. “When I saw the suspect holding one, I felt that anything could happen, so I instinctively defended myself.”

“The suspect was bleeding from the neck after being cut by the knife I wielded and said, ‘I was wrong, I’m sorry, please spare me,’” Nana recalled.

“I thought I needed to calm the robber first and tried to hear what he wanted to say. I realized that was dangerous after seeing him holding a knife, so I silently signaled my mother to call the police,” added the singer.

Nana’s mother also testified about the moment she saw the intruder.

“I heard the dog barking and went to the living room, where I saw the suspect entering through the balcony holding a knife,” the mother said. “I tried to block the door, but I was overpowered as he forced his way inside.”

She added that she could “only think about [her] daughter in the other room” as the suspect strangled her with both arms, adding that she “almost fell unconscious" and couldn't remember when her daughter came out.

She further recalled that all three were struggling to gain control of the knife when she gained consciousness.

The mother said she is still receiving physical therapy as a result of the incident but is “feeling a lot better” recently.

While under investigation, the suspect filed a countersuit against Nana, accusing her of attempted murder and aggravated injury. Police determined Nana’s actions constituted self-defense based on the circumstances and evidence and did not forward the case to prosecutors.

Nana later filed a complaint against the suspect on charges of making a false accusation.

The suspect admitted to trespassing during the first hearing in January but has denied most of the other charges, but also claimed that Nana committed an unprovoked assault against him during the home invasion.

A former member of the K-pop girl band After School, Nana has received widespread praise for defending herself and her mother against the intruder.

The case has raised questions about whether victims of crime should be required to face their perpetrators in court, and whether the country’s self-defense laws should be updated.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [lee.jiwon10@joongang.co.kr]