A Busan court on Wednesday acquitted Choi Mal-ja for biting off the tongue of a man who attempted to sexually assault her, 61 years after her conviction.

The Busan District Court handed down the not guilty verdict during Choi’s retrial hearing after recognizing Choi’s action as an act of self-defense. 

The ruling came after prosecutors issued an apology to Choi in her first hearing in July and asked the court to acquit her. 

Choi was sentenced to ten months in prison, suspended for two years, for partially biting off the tongue of a man who tried to sexually assault her in 1964, when she was 18 years old. 

Choi requested for a retrial in 2020 but it was this February when her case was retried after the Supreme Court ruled that her retrial could be held.