January 02, World (LNW): In an unfortunate incident on Tuesday (02), South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung was reportedly stabbed in the neck during a visit to the southern port city of Busan, Yonhap news agency reported.
Lee, who narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election, is said to be conscious and has been taken to a local university hospital, according to a party official and a fire department official.
The attack occurred while Lee was touring the site of a proposed airport, leaving him with a roughly 1 cm gash on his neck, reported YTN television.
The assailant, appearing to be a man in his 50s or 60s, wore a paper crown with Lee’s name on it, as seen in news photographs. The attacker approached Lee, ostensibly seeking an autograph, and then suddenly lunged forward to carry out the attack, according to foreign reports.
The assailant was swiftly subdued and arrested at the scene.
Video clips of the incident on YTN television and social media platforms depicted the attack, showing a man lunging at Lee, causing him to grimace and collapse to the ground.
In response, President Yoon Suk Yeol condemned the attack, deeming it an unacceptable act. He expressed deep concern for Lee and instructed that he receives the best care for a speedy recovery.
Lee, a former governor of Gyeonggi province, narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election to conservative Yoon, a former chief prosecutor. Currently on trial for alleged bribery related to a development project during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam, Lee has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, labeling the accusations as “fiction” and a “political conspiracy.”
Lee has been leading the main opposition party since August 2022, and South Korea’s next parliamentary elections are scheduled for April.
