South Korea Opposition Leader Stabbed In Busan, Current Condition Unknown
South Korea’s opposition leader Lee Jae-Myung, 59, was attacked during a visit to Busan this morning.
This allegedly came after the assailant posed as a supporter and asked for Lee’s autograph.
The former then stabbed the politician in his neck with a weapon that was around 30cm in length.
Police apprehended the culprit on the spot and Lee was rushed to the hospital while conscious, but his current condition remains unknown.
The South Korean President has since expressed his concern for Lee and condemned the violent incident.
South Korea opposition leader stabbed during press conference
According to Yonhap News Agency, the incident took place on Tuesday (2 Jan) at around 10.27am.
Lee, the leader of South Korea’s Democratic Party, was touring the construction site of a new airport on Busan’s Gadeok Island.
Source: Yonhap via The Korea Herald
The stabbing reportedly occurred during a question-and-answer session with reporters.
Pretending to be one of Lee’s supporters, the attacker approached the politician asking for an autograph, Korea JoongAng Daily reported.
Source: YouTube via Korea JoongAng Daily
When he was refused, the assailant struck the left side of Lee’s neck with an unidentified sharp object that was around 30cm in length.
Lee Jae-Myung conscious when conveyed to hospital
Police officers on the scene apprehended the suspect immediately.
The opposition leader was taken to Pusan National University Hospital roughly 20 minutes after the infliction.
Source: Yonhap via Reuters
Although Lee was conscious at the time of conveyance, he reportedly would not stop bleeding.
His current condition remains unclear at the time of writing.
South Korean president condemns violent incident
Following the incident, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed his concern for the opposition leader.
In a statement to Yonhap, his spokesperson said that the President has ordered the police and relevant authorities to establish the facts of what happened as soon as possible.
Yoon also pressed for the utmost effort to send Lee to a hospital for the necessary medical attention.
Additionally, the president condemned the incident, saying that such violence should never be tolerated under any circumstances.
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Featured image adapted from Yonhap via Reuters.
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