A court in South Korea has acquitted a woman convicted six decades ago for biting off part of a man’s tongue during an alleged sexual assault, after she challenged the ruling, inspired by the country’s #MeToo movement.
Choi Mal-ja was 19 in 1964 when she was attacked by a 21-year-old man in the southern town of Gimhae. He pinned her to the ground and repeatedly forced his tongue into her mouth, at one point blocking her nose to stop her from breathing, according to court records.
Choi managed to break free by biting off 1.5cm of his tongue.
In one of South Korea’s most contentious rulings on sexual violence, the aggressor received only six months in prison, suspended for two years, for trespassing and intimidation – but not attempted rape.
Choi, now 79, was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm and handed a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. That decision was overturned on Wednesday by the Busan district court which ruled her actions constituted “justifiable self-defence” under South Korean law.
There’s a strong feminist movement in the ROK right now, a part of that is bringing up cases where women have been victims yet punished for fighting back. This is one such case.
I had heard about the online discourse in this area, but I’m glad to hear that something has come of that movement.
It’s constantly bubbling. Women’s rights in the ROK are really bad, and there’s a huge incel movement as well. The ROK in general is like trying to force a lid on a bubbling pot.