A still from a work by actor Nana, who shared her thoughts on portraying the life of ‘Jeong-won’. Her own Instagram account

The so-called ‘Nana robbery case’, in which actor Nana (Im Jin-ah) subdued a robber wielding a deadly weapon but was instead countersued, has expanded into legislation in the National Assembly.

On the 12th, Representative Jeon Yong-gi of the Democratic Party of Korea (Hwaseong-jeong, Gyeonggi) announced that he had introduced as the principal sponsor a bill to partially amend the Criminal Act that would specify in law the criteria for judging ‘reasonable grounds’, a requirement for establishing self-defense.

The amendment provides that, in principle, defensive acts in situations where serious harm to life·body is anticipated shall be recognized as justifiable self-defense, including ▲ when stopping a person who has trespassed into a residence and intends to inflict harm on oneself or family members ▲ when responding to an attack by a person who displays force in numbers or carries a weapon or other dangerous object, among others.

Article 21 of the current Criminal Act defines justifiable self-defense as an act to defend against ‘ongoing unlawful infringement’, and provides that it is not punishable only when the means have ‘reasonable grounds’.

Jeon said, “A mechanical judgment that evaluates the fear and urgency on the ground by a retrospective standard forces one-sided sacrifice on good citizens,” adding, “The home is the last sanctuary where life and safety must be protected.”

The ‘Nana robbery case’ that occurred last November sparked public outrage. In November last year, Nana, together with her mother, subdued an armed robber who broke into her home; however, the robber, Mr. A, in turn filed a countersuit against Nana on charges including attempted murder. In January, police determined that her response constituted self-defense and decided not to refer the case. On the 9th, the court sentenced Mr. A to seven years in prison.