Seoul, South Korea –
South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck by an unidentified knife-wielding man while visiting the southeastern city of Busan on Tuesday, police said.
Lee, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Police and emergency officials say he is conscious and in no danger, but the exact circumstances are unclear.
The attack occurred as Lee was walking through a crowd of reporters after completing a tour of the planned construction site for Busan’s new airport. According to Busan police, the suspect approached Lee posing as a supporter and stabbed him in the neck with a knife, asking for his autograph.
Mr Lee fell to the ground, where someone pressed a handkerchief to his neck to stop the bleeding. Witness Jin Jeong-hwa told YTN TV that Lee was bleeding profusely.
A video circulating on social media showed the suspect wearing a paper crown with the words “I am Lee Jae-myung” written on it being chased and tackled by several people.
Officers arrested the man at the scene, police said. According to Yonhap News, during the interrogation, he did not reveal the reason for attacking Lee.
Mr. Lee’s Democratic Party called the incident “a terrorist attack against Mr. Lee and a serious threat to democracy.” He called on the police to thoroughly and promptly investigate the incident.
President Yun Seok-yeol expressed deep concern about Lee’s health, said such violence was unacceptable and ordered authorities to investigate the attack, Yun’s office said.
Lee narrowly lost to Yun in the 2022 presidential election.
Lee, a liberal former governor, is known for his outspokenness. His supporters see him as an anti-elite hero who can reform the political establishment, root out corruption and address widening economic inequality. Critics see him as a dangerous populist who relies on stoking division and demonizing conservative opponents.
