The courageous struggle of Grandmother Choi Mal-ja, who became a victim of sexual violence at the age of 18, was movingly accompanied by 'Kkokkomu'.
On the 18th, the broadcast of 'The Story of That Day' highlighted the 'Choi Mal-ja Grandmother Retrial' with actor Kim Nam-hee, announcer Park Sun-young, and singer Wendy participating as listeners, shedding light on the 'tongue-cutting incident' of the 1960s.
In 2013, Yoon Hyang-hee met Grandmother Choi Mal-ja, who was approaching her seventies, at the Korea National Open University. The grandmother, who had an extraordinary passion for studying, submitted her first assignment with Yoon's help, and the two developed a supportive relationship across generations. Later, while preparing her graduation thesis 'The Path I Have Walked, The Path Ahead' in 2018, the grandmother shocked Yoon by revealing her past, which had remained a lifelong burden.
Born in 1946 in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, Grandmother Choi Mal-ja was sexually assaulted by a young man named Noh while giving him directions at the age of 18. After being forcibly kissed, she managed to escape home while resisting. However, Noh later came to her house, claiming that her tongue was cut off and demanding medical expenses and damages. The village was thrown into chaos, and distorted articles flooded the media.
Noh demanded a large sum equivalent to three years' salary of an urban worker at the time. In response, the grandmother's family filed a complaint against him for attempted rape, but Noh counter-sued the grandmother for defamation. Two months after the incident, the grandmother entered the investigation room alone and underwent coercive questioning. Kim Nam-hee lamented, "How can an 18-year-old girl handle that situation?"
In the first trial in 1964, the grandmother stood as the defendant. Even the judge and the defense attorney suggested marriage to the perpetrator, and she was forced to undergo virginity tests and public scrutiny in court. The prosecution sought a three-year sentence for the grandmother and a one-year sentence for Noh, but Noh was only sentenced to eight months for charges of trespassing and special threats, not attempted rape. Ultimately, the court sentenced the grandmother to ten months in prison with a two-year probation, and self-defense was not recognized. Noh received a six-month prison sentence with a two-year probation, and the attempted rape charge was never addressed. The victim received a harsher sentence than the perpetrator.
This incident, which followed her like a label throughout her life, led the grandmother to fail in marriage and struggle to make a living. Half a century later, in 2018, she sought help from the Korean Women's Hotline with Yoon Hyang-hee to prepare for a retrial. The judgment at the time included a record stating that she "provoked him to kiss," which became the reason for the grandmother being labeled as the perpetrator.
The retrial process was arduous. The probability of starting a retrial was only 20.5%, and the probability of an acquittal was just 4%. However, new evidence emerged through vivid testimonies, past articles, and analysis of the judgment. In particular, Noh's record of being enlisted as a first-class active duty soldier revealed contradictions in the previous ruling. Despite having undergone surgery to stitch up the cut tongue on the day of the incident, the prosecution argued that he had become a speech-impaired person, insisting on the grandmother's defamation charge.
In 2020, a retrial request was made after 56 years. Hundreds of citizens and women's organizations gathered. The grandmother emphasized, "We must not leave such a stain on future generations and change this society." However, the retrial was dismissed in both the first and appellate trials. The grandmother did not give up and appealed to the Supreme Court, receiving over 1,500 petitions and support from across the country. Wendy, watching all of this, expressed her emotions, saying, "It makes me tear up."
Finally, in 2024, the Supreme Court recognized the consistent testimonies and evidence, overturned the original ruling, and sent the case back to the High Court. In the first retrial hearing in 2025, the prosecution acknowledged past mistakes and sought an acquittal. The grandmother shared her thoughts, saying, "Now that they admit their mistakes, I feel that justice in South Korea is alive."
In her petition, she appealed, "Please make the laws of South Korea allow future generations to live in a world without sexual violence." Wendy expressed her emotions, saying, "She fought for 61 years until the end." Ultimately, on September 10, the final ruling confirmed her acquittal after 61 years, allowing the grandmother to resolve her grievances and reclaim her rights.
In the process of resolving her grievances, the grandmother felt many helping hands and said, "Nevertheless, my life is beautiful." Her courage left a significant symbolic meaning for future generations and victims of sexual violence. Announcer Park Sun-young emphasized, "The first line of the petition, 'This incident was not trivial at all,' will give courage to many people."
Meanwhile, 'Kkokkomu' is a program where three storytellers share their feelings from their studies with their 'story friends' in the most ordinary spaces one-on-one, airing every Thursday at 10:20 PM on SBS.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
