摘要：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 sex
South Korean woman who bit off attacker’s tongue acquitted after 61 years
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原文 / EN
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.
Choi’s actions at the time are now “deemed an attempt to escape an unjust infringement on her bodily integrity and sexual self-determination”, the court said in a statement.
The ruling overturns Choi’s 1965 conviction, when the court found her actions had “exceeded the reasonable bounds of legally permissible self-defence”.
Choi smiled as supporters handed her bouquets of flowers after the ruling. Women’s rights activists and supporters celebrated, waving a placard that read: “Choi Mal-ja did it!”
In a press conference after the ruling, Choi said: “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.”
Choi’s appeal gained momentum after the #MeToo movement that took off in 2017 inspired her to seek justice. In South Korea, women’s rights protests have led to victories on issues ranging from abortion access to tougher penalties for spycam crimes.
Choi filed for a retrial in 2020, but lower courts initially rejected her petition.
After years of campaigning and an appeal, South Korea’s highest court finally ordered a retrial in 2024. At its first hearing, prosecutors apologised to Choi and asked the court to overturn her conviction.
Her lawyers said they plan to seek compensation from the state for the damages she suffered from her conviction six decades ago.
译文 / CN
*译文仅供参考
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.
韩国一家法院近日宣判，一名在六十年前因在一次疑似性侵中咬掉男子舌头而被定罪的女子无罪。她是在受到该国 #MeToo 运动的启发后，挑战原判并寻求正义。
1964年，年仅19岁的崔末子（Choi Mal-ja）在庆尚南道金海市遭到一名21岁男子的袭击。根据法庭记录，该男子将她压倒在地，多次强行把舌头伸进她的嘴里，还一度捂住她的鼻子，令她无法呼吸。
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.
崔末子最终挣脱，并咬下了对方1.5厘米的舌头。
在韩国性暴力案件最具争议的判决之一中，施暴者仅因非法入侵和恐吓被判处六个月徒刑，缓期两年执行——却没有因企图强奸而被追责。
KEY WORDS
bit off 咬掉
challenge the ruling 对裁决提出质疑 / 上诉
pin someone to the ground 把某人压在地上
at one point 在某一时刻
break free 挣脱，自由
trespassing 非法入侵 / 侵入
intimidation 恐吓，威胁
attempted rape 强奸未遂
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.
Choi’s actions at the time are now “deemed an attempt to escape an unjust infringement on her bodily integrity and sexual self-determination”, the court said in a statement.
而崔末子却被判定“造成重伤害”，获刑10个月，同样缓期两年执行。本周三，釜山地方法院推翻了这一判决，认定她的行为属于韩国法律规定的“正当防卫”。
法院在声明中表示，当年的崔末子“被视为是在试图逃离对其身体完整性和性自主权的不法侵害”。
The ruling overturns Choi’s 1965 conviction, when the court found her actions had “exceeded the reasonable bounds of legally permissible self-defence”.
Choi smiled as supporters handed her bouquets of flowers after the ruling. Women’s rights activists and supporters celebrated, waving a placard that read: “Choi Mal-ja did it!”
这一判决推翻了1965年的原判。当时法院认定她的行为“超出了法律允许的正当防卫的合理范围”。
宣判后，崔末子在支持者递上花束时露出了笑容。女权活动人士和支持者们举着写有“崔末子做得对！”的标语，庆祝这一迟来的胜利。
KEY WORDS
grievous bodily harm 严重人身伤害
justifiable self-defence 正当防卫
deem an attempt 视为一次尝试
un unjust infringement 不正当侵害，非法侵犯
sexual self-determination 性自主权
exceed the reasonable bounds 超出合理限度
wave a placard 挥舞标语牌
In a press conference after the ruling, Choi said: “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.”
Choi’s appeal gained momentum after the #MeToo movement that took off in 2017 inspired her to seek justice. In South Korea, women’s rights protests have led to victories on issues ranging from abortion access to tougher penalties for spycam crimes.
在庭审结束后的记者会上，崔末子说：“61年前，在一个我什么都无法理解的处境中，受害者被当作了加害者，而我的命运就此被钉死为罪犯。对于那些和我有着相同遭遇的受害者们，我希望能成为他们的希望之源。”
崔末子的上诉是在2017年掀起的 #MeToo 运动后获得动力的，那场运动激励她站出来寻求正义。在韩国，女性权利抗议已经在一系列议题上取得胜利，包括堕胎权的保障，以及对偷拍犯罪的更严厉惩罚。
Choi filed for a retrial in 2020, but lower courts initially rejected her petition.
After years of campaigning and an appeal, South Korea’s highest court finally ordered a retrial in 2024. At its first hearing, prosecutors apologised to Choi and asked the court to overturn her conviction.
Her lawyers said they plan to seek compensation from the state for the damages she suffered from her conviction six decades ago.
崔末子于2020年提出再审申请，但下级法院最初驳回了她的请求。
在多年奔走呼吁和提起上诉之后，韩国最高法院最终于2024年下令重审。在第一次开庭时，检察官向崔末子 公开道歉 ，并请求法院推翻她的定罪。
她的律师表示，他们计划向国家申请赔偿，以弥补她因六十年前的定罪所遭受的损害。
KEY WORDS
perpetrator 加害者，犯罪者
gain momentum 势头增强；获得动力
penalty 惩罚，刑罚，罚金
spycam crimes 偷拍犯罪（利用针孔摄像头等）
order a retrial 下令重审
prosecutor 检察官
overturn conviction 推翻定罪
seek compensation 寻求赔偿
文章 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/10/south-korean-woman-who-bit-off-attackers-tongue-acquitted-after-61-years
来源：奇妙橘子s