Korean woman who bit off attacker’s tongue is acquitted 61 years later

A South Korean woman, Ms. Choi Mal-ja, 79, has been acquitted after a decades-long legal battle concerning her original conviction for biting off a man’s tongue during an alleged sexual assault.

BBC wrote in an article that the incident took place when she was 18 in the town of Gimhae, where she managed to free herself from her attacker  who had pinned her to the ground, by biting him: “She only managed to break free after biting off about 1.5cm (0.59in) of his tongue.”

Despite her self-defense, she was initially sentenced for causing grievous bodily harm, receiving a 10-month jail term, while her attacker, who was 21, received a lighter six-month sentence for trespassing and intimidation.

According to the BBC, the case has become a significant example in South Korean legal history, often cited in textbooks as a failure to recognize legitimate self-defense in cases of sexual violence.

Ms. Choi’s fight for justice began after her conviction, which she believed was influenced by gender bias.

“Her path to exoneration has been challenging. Lower courts rejected her petition saying there is no evidence to support her claims of self-defence”, said the article.

Her attacker had repeatedly demanded compensation, going so far as to break into her home with a knife, reported South Korean media.

However, Ms Choi was not deterred.

Her campaign, supported by advocacy groups and reportedly inspired by the #MeToo movement, culminated in a retrial in July, after the Supreme Court ordered her case to be reopened. The article said that this was following a two-year period of gathering evidence for her legal fight.

Prosecutors publicly apologized and requested the court to overturn her conviction, acknowledging the injustice she faced.

Supporters and legal experts see her acquittal as a step forward for victims of sexual violence, emphasizing that acts of self-defense should be recognized legally, stated the BBC.

The Korea Women’s Hotline and others hope this verdict will influence future cases, allowing women to defend themselves without fear of unjust punishment.

“Going forward, women’s defensive acts will be understood as legitimate. I expect this will mean fewer women will face unjust suffering,” says Song Ran-hee, who leads the organization.

Ms. Choi has announced plans to seek compensation from the state, and her case joins a small number of similar instances in South Korea where women’s defensive actions have been legally validated, as reported by the BBC.