South Korea's opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck on Tuesday during a visit to the southern port city of Busan. The 59-year-old leader of the Democratic Party of Korea sustained a 1cm laceration on the left side of his neck and was airlifted to hospital, where doctors said the wound was not life-threatening.
The attacker, a 66-year-old man, approached Mr Lee asking for an autograph before lunging forward with an 18cm knife, which police said he had bought online. He was immediately overpowered and arrested. According to Yonhap news agency, the suspect stated he intended to kill Mr Lee, though his motive remains unclear. Prosecutors plan to charge him with attempted murder.
Mr Lee was addressing reporters at a news conference near a construction site when the attack occurred. Videos on social media show him collapsing into the crowd and then onto the ground, with a handkerchief pressed to his neck. A party spokesman, Kwon Chil-seung, said medical staff suspected an injury to his jugular vein and that surgery was needed quickly to prevent further bleeding.
The attack drew widespread condemnation from political figures, including President Yoon Suk Yeol, who said South Korea 'should not tolerate such acts of violence under any circumstance.' Mr Lee's party described it as 'a clear act of democracy destruction.' Mr Lee narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election to Mr Yoon by a 0.73% margin and is expected to run again in 2027.
Mr Lee, a former civil rights attorney who grew up in poverty, has faced corruption and breach of trust charges since his election loss, which he denies as politically motivated. In September, a court dismissed a request for his detention pending trial. The stabbing follows a series of attacks on South Korean politicians, including a 2022 assault on Mr Lee's predecessor and a 2006 knife attack on former President Park Geun-hye.
