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Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party, was stabbed in the neck during a visit to the southern city of Busan on Tuesday and was airlifted to a university hospital for treatment, party and fire officials announced.
Lee, who narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election, was attacked by an unidentified man while touring a proposed airport site, officials told Reuters.
The attack left him with a 1cm cut on his neck, YTN TV reported. Hospital officials did not immediately confirm details of the injuries.
Lee was airlifted by fire helicopter to Busan National University Hospital and was being treated in the emergency room, hospital and fire department officials told Reuters.
The assailant, believed to be a man in his 50s or 60s, was wearing a paper crown with Lee’s name on it, according to news photos.
Video footage showed that as Mr Lee spoke to a crowd of supporters and reporters, a man approached and asked for an autograph before lunging forward and attacking him.
Chin Jeong-hwa, a Lee supporter who was at the scene and livestreamed the event, told Reuters there were 20 police officers at the scene.
The assailant was quickly subdued by the men, including a police officer, the footage showed.
According to Busan Ilbo, he had refused to answer police questions regarding his motive.
A video clip on YTN TV and posted on social media platform X showed a man lunging at Lee with his arms outstretched. Lee fell to the ground with a grimace on her face.
News photos showed Mr Lee lying on the ground with his eyes closed and bleeding, while others pressed handkerchiefs to the side of his neck.
President condemns attack
President Yoon Seok-yeol condemned the act, calling it intolerable, the Blue House announced. His office said he expressed his deep concern for Lee and directed him to receive the best possible treatment to ensure a speedy recovery.
Lee, a former governor of Gyeonggi Province, narrowly lost to conservative former prosecutor general Yoon in the 2022 presidential election.
Mr. Lee is currently on trial on charges of bribery stemming from a development project when he was mayor of Seongnam, a suburb of Seoul. Lee has denied any wrongdoing, calling the allegations a “hoax” and a “political conspiracy.”
Lee has been leading the main opposition party since August 2022.
South Korea’s next parliamentary election is scheduled for April.
Although there are strict regulations on gun ownership, South Korea has a history of political violence involving other weapons. Although there is a police presence at major events involving prominent political leaders, there is usually not heavy security.
Lee’s predecessor, Song Yong-gil, suffered lacerations in 2022 after an assailant swung a blunt object at his head at a public event.
Park Geun-hye, then a conservative opposition leader and later president, was attacked with a knife at an event in 2006 and suffered cuts to her face that required surgery.
In 2015, then-U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert was attacked by an assailant while attending a public event, leaving him with a large cut on his face.
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