South Korean opposition chief Lee Jae-myung stabbed in neck, hospitalised

Name: South Korean opposition leader hospitalised after stabbing incident
Uploaded: 2024-01-02T02:08:48.000Z
Duration: 1 min 18 s
Description: South Korean opposition leader hospitalised after stabbing incident

Lee was stabbed in the left side of his neck on Tuesday by an unidentified man while touring the site of a proposed airport in Busan, reports said

News photographs showed him lying on the ground with his eyes closed and other people pressing a handkerchief against the side of his neck

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South Korean opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung falls after being attacked by an unidentified man during his visit to Busan on Tuesday. Photo: Yonhap via Reuters

Reuters

Published: 10:08am, 2 Jan 2024Updated: 8:03pm, 2 Jan 2024

South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck during a visit to the southern port city of Busan on Tuesday and was airlifted to Seoul after receiving emergency treatment, party and emergency officials said.

Lee, who narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election, was flown to Seoul National University Hospital in the capital after being attacked by an unidentified man while touring the site of a proposed airport, the officials said. He was conscious.

Party spokesman Kwon Chil-seung, said that Lee needed surgery after the attack and “is currently admitted to the intensive care unit and is recovering”, adding there was damage to the internal jugular vein, which carries blood from the head to the heart.

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South Korean opposition leader hospitalised after stabbing incident

The attack by the assailant, seen in video footage and photographs, unfolded quickly while Lee was touring the site of a proposed airport in Busan.

The man approached wearing a paper crown with Lee’s name on it and asked for an autograph as Lee spoke among a throng of supporters and reporters, then lunged forward and attacked him, video footage showed.

A Busan police official, Son Je-han, told a news briefing the assailant was born in 1957 and used an 18cm knife (7 inch) bought online. He did not identify the suspect and said the motive was being investigated. Local media reported the police will seek the charge of attempted murder against the assailant.

News photographs showed Lee lying on the ground with his eyes closed and other people pressing a handkerchief against the side of his neck.

Jin Jeong-hwa, a Lee supporter who was at the scene live-streaming the event, said there were more than two dozen police officers present. The assailant was quickly subdued by party officials and police officers, the footage showed.