A South Korean woman has been acquitted after a court revisited her decades-old conviction for biting off the tongue of a man during an alleged sexual attack. Choi Mal-ja was 18 when she was convicted of grievous bodily harm and sentenced to 10 months in jail. Her aggressor, a 21-year-old, received a lighter sentence of six months.
After a years-long campaign to clear her name, a retrial began in the southern city of Busan in July. In its first hearing, prosecutors apologized and requested the court to quash her conviction. I could not let this case go unanswered... I wanted to stand up for other victims who share the same fate as mine, Ms. Choi said after the acquittal.
The incident, which occurred in the southern town of Gimhae, transformed Ms. Choi’s life from victim to accused. She expressed gratitude to her supporters and criticized those in power who failed to protect vulnerable individuals. Her case is an example of the judiciary's struggle with recognizing self-defense claims in sexual assault cases.
Initially, her conviction was seen as an egregious misjudgement influenced by societal bias against women victims. With the support of advocacy groups, Ms. Choi gathered evidence to petition for a retrial, and in December 2024, her application was finally accepted by the Supreme Court.
Ms. Choi's lawyer called it a rectification of a past error, driven by Choi's unwavering determination. She plans to file a civil lawsuit against the state to seek compensation, emphasizing that this victory represents hope for other sexual violence victims. The ruling has been interpreted as a potential shift in judicial perception regarding women's defensive actions, with advocates anticipating a broader understanding of legitimate self-defense claims in the future.
After a years-long campaign to clear her name, a retrial began in the southern city of Busan in July. In its first hearing, prosecutors apologized and requested the court to quash her conviction. I could not let this case go unanswered... I wanted to stand up for other victims who share the same fate as mine, Ms. Choi said after the acquittal.
The incident, which occurred in the southern town of Gimhae, transformed Ms. Choi’s life from victim to accused. She expressed gratitude to her supporters and criticized those in power who failed to protect vulnerable individuals. Her case is an example of the judiciary's struggle with recognizing self-defense claims in sexual assault cases.
Initially, her conviction was seen as an egregious misjudgement influenced by societal bias against women victims. With the support of advocacy groups, Ms. Choi gathered evidence to petition for a retrial, and in December 2024, her application was finally accepted by the Supreme Court.
Ms. Choi's lawyer called it a rectification of a past error, driven by Choi's unwavering determination. She plans to file a civil lawsuit against the state to seek compensation, emphasizing that this victory represents hope for other sexual violence victims. The ruling has been interpreted as a potential shift in judicial perception regarding women's defensive actions, with advocates anticipating a broader understanding of legitimate self-defense claims in the future.
