BUSAN: A 78-year-old woman was acquitted Wednesday for partially biting off the tongue of her attempted rapist in a landmark retrial of the case more than six decades after her conviction, the
Yonhap News Agency reported.
In 1964, the woman, named Choi Mal-ja (
pic), was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, for biting off 1.5 centimetres of the tongue of the man who allegedly tried to rape her.
Choi, who was 18 at the time, claimed self-defence, but the courts dismissed her claims. The perpetrator was only charged with trespassing and blackmail and sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years.
On Wednesday, the Busan District Court acquitted Choi of the charges in the retrial, recognising her act as being in self-defence, with the courtroom erupting in applause and cheers at the decision.
"Those around me tried to dissuade me, saying it would be like hitting a rock with an egg, but I couldn't bury the case," Choi said after the court decision. "I had to take the lead for victims who shared the same fate as myself, and I wanted to be their hope."
The retrial came after Choi filed for an appeal in 2020, insisting again her act constituted self-defence, and the Supreme Court agreed to her claim three years later.
During the retrial, prosecutors demanded her acquittal, saying they have concluded her attack on the attempted rapist was a legitimate act as a sexual assault victim, while apologising for giving her "unimaginable suffering and pain".
