South Korean court clears woman who bit attacker’s tongue 61 years ago

As a teenager in 1964, Choi Mal-ja fought to survive when a man pinned her down and forced his tongue into her mouth. She bit off part of his tongue to break free, only to be convicted of aggravated bodily injury. On Sept. 10, a South Korean court overturned that conviction, ruling her actions were self-defense.

Details of the assault: Choi was 18 at the time of the incident in Gimhae in South Gyeongsang Province. According to court records, the man, then 21, forced his way into her home, held her down and blocked her nose as he pushed his tongue into her mouth. Choi resisted by biting off about 1.5 centimeters of his tongue. In 1965, she was convicted of aggravated bodily injury and given a 10-month prison sentence suspended for two years, while the man was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, for trespassing and intimidation.
Retrial and court’s ruling: Choi sought a retrial beginning in 2020, but her requests were repeatedly denied before the Supreme Court granted a new trial in late 2024. In July, prosecutors formally apologized and asked the court to acquit her. In its ruling on Sept. 10, the Busan District Court said her actions “constitute justifiable self-defense” and were “an attempt to escape an unjust infringement on her bodily integrity and sexual self-determination.”
Choi’s response and next steps: Supporters gathered outside the courthouse in Busan, holding signs with her name as the verdict was announced. Now 79, Choi told reporters, “Sixty-one years ago, in a situation where I could understand nothing, the victim became the perpetrator and my fate was sealed as a criminal. For the victims who shared the same fate as mine, I wanted to be a source of hope for them.” Her legal team said they will seek state compensation for the decades she lived under a wrongful conviction.

This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter — a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices.

Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what we’re building, consider becoming a paid member — your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community.

Subscribe here now!

Share this Article