Stabbed South Korean Opposition Leader Recovering After Surgery

(Bloomberg) -- South Korea’s main opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung is recovering from surgery a day after getting stabbed in the neck by an assailant during a visit to the southern coastal city of Busan.

Lee, 59, is in an intensive care unit at Seoul National University Hospital after undergoing surgery for about two hours Tuesday, Kang Taijung, an official from Lee’s office, said by phone on Wednesday. Lee received surgery for vascular reconstruction and the removal of blood clots after damage to the internal jugular vein in his neck was confirmed, a party spokesperson said late Tuesday.

The attack occurred as the political leader ambled through a crowd of reporters after touring the site of a new airport in Busan. The suspect approached Lee asking for an autograph, then stabbed Lee with a knife that had a 13-centimeter (5-inch) blade, a police official said in a news briefing.

Authorities are investigating the suspect after he was arrested at the scene. Police described the suspect as a man born in 1957 who purchased the knife online.

The motive for the assault is still unclear. The suspect didn’t respond to reporters querying his motive when he emerged from a convoy arriving at the police station on Tuesday. The suspect told police he was intent on killing Lee, according to a Yonhap report, which said he could face an attempted murder charge. Police are also investigating whether the suspect is a member of any political party.

The attack comes ahead of South Korean parliamentary elections in April that will determine whether Lee’s camp keeps its majority or loses power to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservative People Power Party.

There have been several high-profile cases of political violence in recent years in South Korea ahead of elections. In 2022, Lee’s predecessor Song Young-gil was attacked by a man with a hammer during a campaign event and was treated for a gash to his skull. 

In 2006, former President Park Geun-hye, who was then the leader of the major opposition party, was treated for an 11-centimeter cut on her face when a man attacked her during a campaign appearance. Park is the daughter of assassinated former President Park Chung Hee.

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