Woman who bit off her rapist’s tongue during attack finally acquitted after 61 years

Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.

A woman who was jailed for 10 months after biting the tongue of her attacker off while she was being raped, has been acquitted of her conviction.

After 61 years, the 79-year-old heard on Wednesday (September 10) how a court in the coastal city of Busan, a city in southeast South Korea, had overturned the ruling.

After the judge ruled that she acted in self-defence, she declared in the courtroom: "I, Choi-Mal-ja, am finally innocent!"

Meanwhile, outside the district court chants of 'Choiu Mal-ja did it' and 'Choi Mal-ja succeeded' could be heard.

Her fight for justice came in the wake of the powerful 2018 #MeToo campaign.

Speaking about why she fought her case, she said: "For the victims who shared the same fate as mine, I wanted to be a source of hope for them."

Choi Mal-ja has been acquitted of her conviction after a judge ruled that she acted in self-defence (KBS News)

In the retrial, that began in July, Choi justified that the reason she bit half an inch off the tongue of the man, known only as 'Roh', explaining how it was a proportionate response to 'an unjust infringement on her bodily integrity and sexual self-determination'.

The attack in question took place on an evening in May back in 1964, when a then-18-year-old Choi was sexually assaulted by a then-21-year-old Roh - who was a complete stranger to her.

During the attack, which took place in Gimhae - a neighbouring city of Busan's - Choi was forced to the ground before Roh stuck his tongue in Choi's mouth while holding her nose.

Choi then chomped down on her attacker's tongue, ripping a portion of it off in the process, before managing to escape.

Choi was joined by supporters outside the courtroom after seeing her conviction overturned (KBS News)

But the horrific ordeal was far from over for Choi, after a knife-wielding Roh then broke into her home and threatened to slash her dad.

He then took the matter to court, claiming Choi inflicted grievious bodily harm on him - which a judge agreed with and sentenced her to 10 months behind bars.

Her argument was discredited, while prosecutors also suggested that she was attracted to her attacker, with the judge wickedly suggesting Choi should marry Roh.

Meanwhile, Roh was handed a six-month sentence - that was suspended for two years - for trespassing and intimidation.

If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org