In South Korea, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed during a meeting with journalists in the city of Busan. He has undergone surgery and is recovering in an intensive care unit. The perpetrator of the attack was immediately captured. The reasons are unknown until now.
First modification:
4 min
The leader of the South Korean opposition, Lee Jae-myung, was stabbed in the neck during a mass event in the city of Busan, located 350 kilometers from the capital Seoul.
The attack occurred on the morning of January 2, during a visit that the politician was making to the place where the new Busan airport will be built.
In the middle of a crowd, a 67-year-old man, identified by South Korean authorities as 'Kim' approached Lee. With glasses and a cardboard mask on which he read: “I am Lee Jae-myung,” The man managed to mix between the people attending the event and the journalists, an event that was recorded on video and has gone around the world through social networks.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party, was injured after being stabbed in the neck by a man in his 60s during a visit to the southeastern port city of Busan Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/eBTiQ4rPyT
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) January 2, 2024
To carry out the attack, Kim carried a notebook and a pen in his left hand, asked the leader of the Democratic Party (DP) for an autograph and at that moment, he took the opportunity to stab Lee with his other hand, wounding him on the left side of his head. his neck with a knife of approximately 18 centimeters, according to witnesses who spoke to local media.
Kim, who police say bought the knife online, admitted to attacking the politician with the intention of killing him, although he has not revealed his motivations or whether he has any political affiliation.
In the midst of the investigations, a video emerged on YouTube in which Kim is seen unsuccessfully trying to approach Lee during another public event in Busan, on December 13, wearing the same cardboard mask.
The security services responded immediately, arresting the aggressor at the scene of the attack.
Lee Health Report
Lee fell to the ground. He suffered an incised wound to the jugular vein, but was conscious while he suffered heavy bleeding. He was rushed to Busan hospital and operated for two hours at Seoul National University Hospital. Members of his party have reported that is out of danger.
Jung Chung-rae, a member of the Supreme Council of the Democratic Party (DP), to which Lee belongs, informed the media that the operation took longer than expected, but that the doctors achieved a positive result despite it being a jugular wound.
Although no official report has been issued on Lee's health status, Jung added that medical staff at the Busan hospital indicated that The attack “fortunately” did not affect the carotid artery.
Both the South Korean president, Yoon Suk-yeol; such as People's Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon, strongly condemned the attack and demanded a thorough investigation.
“This should never have happened under any circumstances,” said PD spokesman Kwon Chil-seung.
The Police and the Prosecutor's Office jointly announced the formation of special teams to thoroughly investigate the attack.
Uncertainty facing the legislative
This fact has generated great commotion in the South Korean political scene, increasing uncertainty in relation to the legislative elections scheduled for April, in which the Democratic Party aspires to maintain the majority in Parliament.
Although opposition leader Lee, a member of the Democratic Party, is not currently considered in the country's legislature, it is likely that he will run in the next general elections in April 2024 and in the presidential elections in 2027, despite the fact that he lost in 2022 the presidential elections against the conservative Yoon Suk-yeol.
However, his leadership of the DP for the elections has recently been questioned due to serious allegations of corruption related to his campaign money during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam city and as governor of Gyeonggi province. He has denied the charges.
Two antecedents similar to this attack have occurred in the history of this country.
The most recent was in 2022, with Song Young-gil, Lee's predecessor in the same party, who was hit in the head with a hammer during an electoral event for the presidential elections that year.
Prior to that moment, in 2006, the opposition leader at the time, conservative politician Park Geun-hye, who later served as president of South Korea from 2013 to 2017, was stabbed in the face.
With Reuters and EFE
#South #Korean #opposition #leader #stabbed #months #elections
