By Saadet Gokce
ISTANBUL (AA) - South Korea acquitted a 78-year-old woman on Wednesday who partially bit off the tongue of her attempted rapist, ruling it as "self-defense," six decades after she was convicted.
Choi Mal-ja, 18 years old at the time, was sentenced to 10 months in prison in 1964, which was suspended for two years, after biting off 1.5 centimeters (0.59 inches) of the tongue of the man who allegedly tried to rape her. Her claims of self-defense were rejected in court.
The perpetrator was charged with trespassing and blackmail, and sentenced to six months in prison, which was also suspended for two years.
The retrial began after Choi appealed in 2020, arguing that her actions in 1964 were in self-defense, which the Supreme Court accepted three years later.
At the retrial, prosecutors called for her acquittal, saying that her response to the attempted rape was a justified act of a sexual assault victim, and expressed regret for the “unimaginable suffering and pain” she endured.
"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 Busan District Court acquitted her on Wednesday.
"I had to take the lead for victims who shared the same fate as myself, and I wanted to be their hope," she added.