2009–2013: Debut with After School and Orange Caramel In November 2009 Nana debuted in
After School along with
Raina as third-generation members with the release of After School's second
EP,
Because of You. In June 2010 Nana, along with After School members Raina and
Lizzy, formed a sub-unit called
Orange Caramel. In July 2011 Nana was part of the After School sub-unit A.S. Red along with After School members
Kahi, Jungah and
Uee, releasing the single "In the Night Sky". In September 2011, she was chosen as the main model for the
Tokyo Girls Collection fashion show. In March 2012 Nana again modeled for the Tokyo Girls Collection, walking the S/S 2012 show. She was also a model for the Japanese fashion show Girls' Award and Park Yoon-yoo's Seoul Fashion Walk S/S 2012. In December she joined fellow K-pop stars
Hyolyn,
Hyuna,
Hyoseong, and
Nicole to form the
super group Dazzling Red for
SBS Gayo Daejun, performing the song "This Person". She also became the endorsement model for the biggest diet brand in Korea, Juvis. Nana was also a permanent panelist on the Japanese fashion TV show
Tokyo Brandnew Girls. In 2013 she walked the runway for a-nation's "NYLON" fashion show. The same year, Nana collaborated with Electroboyz on their single "Ma Boy 3". In December 2013, Nana gained global recognition when she placed second on the Independent Critics List of 100 Most Beautiful Faces of 2013. She rose to the No. 1 position in 2014 and placed first again in 2015.
2014–present: Acting career and change of label In March 2014 it was announced that Nana would be a member on a new
SBS variety show called
Roommate. The show features 11 celebrities living in one house. In April, Nana became the host for the second season of
OnStyle's
Style Log, along with
Hong Jong-hyun and Cho Min-ho. In August 2014, Nana participated in the Chinese fashion elimination show
Muse Dress, and emerged runner-up in the competition. She also had a cameo role in the Korean film
Fashion King, which was released on November 6, 2014. In early 2015 Nana debuted as an actress, starring in the Chinese television drama
Love Weaves Through a Millennium, a remake of the Korean drama ''
Queen In-hyun's Man (2012). The same year, she starred in the Chinese romantic comedy film Go Lala Go 2, the sequel to Go Lala Go!''. In February 2016, Nana joined the cast of
Real Men for the fourth season's female soldier special. Later in the year, she was cast in a supporting role in the television drama
The Good Wife, a remake of the American series
of the same name Nana earned positive reviews for her role as Kim Dan, and received the Rookie Actress award at the 2016 Asia Artist Awards. Following her success on the small screen, Nana was cast alongside her
The Good Wife co-star,
Yoo Ji-tae in the crime comedy film
The Swindlers (Conman), as the only female lead. The film garnered 213,185 admissions on the first day of its release and topped the local box office for three consecutive weeks. In 2017, she was cast in her first leading role, in the romantic thriller
Four Men, but decided to leave the cast due to delays in production. In 2019, Nana starred in OCN's crime drama
Kill It, playing detective Do Hyun-jin. The same year, she starred in KBS's melodrama
Justice, based on the web novel Justice, written by Jang Ho and illustrated by Elja, as prosecutor Seo Yeon-ah. Nana once again received acclaim, earning herself an Excellence Award from the 2019
KBS Drama Awards. In 2020, Nana was announced to star in a mystery thriller film,
Confession, based on a Spanish film
Contratiempo (
The Invisible Guest), alongside
So Ji-sub and
Yunjin Kim. In July 2020, Nana starred with
Park Sung-hoon as the lead actress for KBS's drama
Memorials. The drama gathered anticipation due to the series being based on the screenplay by Moon Hyun-kyung, the grand prize winner at the Broadcasting Content Promotion Foundation (BCPF)'s ''10th Find the Desert's Shooting Star Screenplay Competition
, held in 2018. Nana also made her return to music after 6 years through the drama with the release of her first soundtrack, "Our Memories in Summer" () with co-star Park Sung-hoon. On September 7, it was confirmed that Nana would star in a new MBC drama Oh My Ladylord'' with
Lee Min-ki set to premiere on March 24, 2021. After the completion of
Oh My Ladylord, it was announced on May 2021, that Nana was cast in
Netflix's upcoming series
Glitch as "Heo Bora" alongside actress
Jeon Yeo-been. On December 8, 2021, Nana renewed her contract with
Pledis Entertainment for the third time. In September 2024, Nana left Pledis Entertainment after 15 years, and signed with new agency Sublime. ==Public image==