A South Korean court yesterday reopened a decades-old case after a woman challenged her conviction for defending herself against sexual violence 61 years ago.
Choi Mal-ja was 19 when she was attacked by a 21-year-old man in the southern town of Gimhae in 1964.
He pinned her to the ground and forced his tongue into her mouth, court records showed.
Choi broke free by biting off about 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.
However, Choi was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm and handed a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.
The court said at the time that her action had “exceeded the reasonable bounds of legally permissible self-defense.”
Choi’s case gained renewed momentum decades later after women’s rights protests.
Choi filed for a retrial in 2020, but lower courts initially rejected her petition.
After years of campaigning and an appeal, South Korea’s top court finally ordered a retrial last year.
“For 61 years, the state made me live as a criminal,” Choi told reporters outside the Busan District Court ahead of yesterday’s retrial hearing.
She said she hoped future generations could “live in a world free from sexual violence where they can enjoy human rights and a happy life.”
Choi Sun-hye, executive director of the Seoul-based Korea Women’s Hotline counselling center, which supported her case, told reporters that her decision was also meant to “become a source of strength for other victims of sexual violence and correct past wrongs.”
At the retrial hearing, the prosecution asked the court to clear her of the past conviction, the Busan District Court told reporters.
A verdict is expected in September.
IDENTITY: A sex extortion scandal involving Thai monks has deeply shaken public trust in the clergy, with 11 monks implicated in financial misconduct Reverence for the saffron-robed Buddhist monkhood is deeply woven into Thai society, but a sex extortion scandal has besmirched the clergy and left the devout questioning their faith. Thai police this week arrested a woman accused of bedding at least 11 monks in breach of their vows of celibacy, before blackmailing them with thousands of secretly taken photos of their trysts. The monks are said to have paid nearly US$12 million, funneled out of their monasteries, funded by donations from laypeople hoping to increase their merit and prospects for reincarnation. The scandal provoked outrage over hypocrisy in the monkhood, concern that their status
Trinidad and Tobago declared a new state of emergency on Friday after authorities accused a criminal network operating in prisons across the country of plotting to kill key government officials and attack public institutions. It is the second state of emergency to be declared in the twin-island republic in a matter of months. In December last year, authorities took similar action, citing concerns about gang violence. That state of emergency lasted until mid-April. Police said that smuggled cellphones enabled those involved in the plot to exchange encrypted messages. Months of intelligence gathering led investigators to believe the targets included senior police officers,
A disillusioned Japanese electorate feeling the economic pinch goes to the polls today, as a right-wing party promoting a “Japanese first” agenda gains popularity, with fears over foreigners becoming a major election issue. Birthed on YouTube during the COVID-19 pandemic, spreading conspiracy theories about vaccinations and a cabal of global elites, the Sanseito Party has widened its appeal ahead of today’s upper house vote — railing against immigration and dragging rhetoric that was once confined to Japan’s political fringes into the mainstream. Polls show the party might only secure 10 to 15 of the 125 seats up for grabs, but it is
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is to meet US President Donald Trump this week, hoping Manila’s status as a key Asian ally would secure a more favorable trade deal before the deadline on Friday next week. Marcos would be the first Southeast Asian leader to meet Trump in his second term. Trump has already struck trade deals with two of Manila’s regional partners, Vietnam and Indonesia, driving tough bargains in trade talks even with close allies that Washington needs to keep onside in its strategic rivalry with China. “I expect our discussions to focus on security and defense, of course, but also
RSS