Apology for S Korean lady convicted of biting man's tongue as he attacked her

[ad_1] <img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/535a/live/5fa5e350-67a4-11f0-89ea-4d6f9851f623.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/535a/live/5fa5e350-67a4-11f0-89ea-4d6f9851f623.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/535a/live/5fa5e350-67a4-11f0-89ea-4d6f9851f623.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/535a/live/5fa5e350-67a4-11f0-89ea-4d6f9851f623.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/535a/live/5fa5e350-67a4-11f0-89ea-4d6f9851f623.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/535a/live/5fa5e350-67a4-11f0-89ea-4d6f9851f623.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/535a/live/5fa5e350-67a4-11f0-89ea-4d6f9851f623.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/535a/live/5fa5e350-67a4-11f0-89ea-4d6f9851f623.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="EPA Close-up of Choi Mal-ja, 78, raising her arms outside a court in Busan with a woman applauding behind her. She has dark curly hair and is wearing dark-framed glasses and a white top." class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> EPA Prosecutors in South Korea have apologised to a lady who was convicted for defending herself throughout a sexually violent assault greater than 60 years in the past.

Choi Mal-ja was sentenced to 10 months in jail, suspended for 2 years, for biting off a part of her attacker's tongue as he allegedly tried to rape her in 1964, when she was 18 years previous.

Impressed by the nation's #MeToo motion, Ms Choi, now 78, has campaigned for years to have her conviction overturned.

Her retrial started within the metropolis of Busan on Wednesday, the place prosecutors issued an apology and requested for the court docket to quash her responsible verdict.

"For 61 years, the state made me reside as a prison," Ms Choi instructed reporters outdoors the court docket forward of the listening to.

She mentioned she hoped future generations might reside a contented life free from sexual violence.

Firstly of the trial, Busan's Chief Prosecutor Jeong Myeong-won mentioned "we sincerely apologise".

"Now we have triggered Choi Mal-ja, a sufferer of a intercourse crime who ought to have been protected as one, indescribable ache and agony."

A ultimate ruling is scheduled for 10 September, with authorized observers anticipating the court docket to overturn Ms Choi's conviction.

Exterior the courtroom after the listening to, Ms Choi raised her fist and mentioned: "We received!"

She celebrated by embracing campaigners from civic organisations who had been there to assist her.

In 1964, an 18-year-old Choi Mal-ja was attacked by a 21-year-old man, who compelled his tongue into her mouth as he pinned her to the bottom within the southern city of Gimhae, in response to court docket information.

Ms Choi escaped the assault by biting off 1.5cm (0.59in) of the aggressor's tongue.

The person was sentenced to 6 months in jail, suspended for 2 years, for trespassing and intimidation. He was by no means convicted of tried rape.

Ms Choi was given a harsher sentence than her attacker for inflicting him grievous bodily hurt.

The court docket on the time mentioned her actions had exceeded the "affordable bounds" of self-defence.

Ms Choi's case has since been cited in authorized textbooks in South Korea as a basic instance of a court docket failing to recognise self-defence throughout sexual violence.

'Justice is alive on this nation'

After taking inspiration from South Korea's #MeToo motion within the late 2010s, Ms Choi contacted advocacy teams to start work on petitioning for a retrial.

She filed a petition in 2020, 56 years after the assault, however it was initially rejected by the decrease courts. Three years later, the Supreme Courtroom dominated that Ms Choi's retrial might go forward.

Her battle for justice turned well-known in South Korea, with Ms Choi and fellow activists holding protests outdoors the Supreme Courtroom constructing in Seoul.