Woman convicted for biting off attacker’s tongue finally clears her name

Seoul — A South Korean court has overturned a decades-old conviction against Choi Mal-ja, a woman punished in 1965 for defending herself during a violent sexual assault — a landmark decision that many see as a long-overdue correction inspired by the country’s #MeToo movement.

Choi was just 19 years old when she was attacked in 1964 by a 21-year-old man in Gimhae, a southern town in South Korea. According to court records, the man pinned her down and forcibly kissed her, even blocking her nose to stop her from breathing. In a desperate bid to escape, Choi bit off part of his tongue — approximately half an inch.

Despite being the victim, Choi was convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm and received a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. Meanwhile, her attacker was handed only a six-month suspended sentence — not for attempted rape, but for trespassing and intimidation.

On Wednesday, the Busan District Court formally acquitted Choi, now 79, declaring her actions to be “justifiable self-defense” under South Korean law.

“The act was an attempt to escape an unjust infringement on her bodily integrity and sexual self-determination,” the court said in its ruling, directly challenging the original verdict which had argued she had gone “beyond the limits” of legal self-defense.

Dressed in a bright pink blazer, Choi smiled broadly as supporters greeted her with flowers and emotional cheers. Activists held signs proclaiming, “Choi Mal-ja did it!” — a rallying cry for many in South Korea’s women’s rights movement.

“Sixty-one years ago, in a moment when I couldn’t even comprehend what was happening, the victim became the perpetrator, and I was labeled a criminal,” Choi said during a press conference after the decision. “For others who have suffered the same injustice, I wanted to be a symbol of hope.”

Choi’s case was revived in the wake of South Korea’s #MeToo movement, which spurred widespread protests and major legal reforms on issues like abortion access, digital sex crimes, and gender-based violence in the entertainment industry.

Although Choi first sought a retrial in 2020, her petition was repeatedly denied. It wasn’t until South Korea’s Supreme Court ordered a new trial in 2024 that her case moved forward.

Her legal team now plans to pursue state compensation for the harm she endured due to the wrongful conviction.

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