South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung is in intensive care after a shocking knife attack. Surgeons did a 2-hour operation to repair a major blood vessel in his neck.
Democratic Party floor leader Hong Ik-pyo said the attack was a threat against democracy and called for a speedy investigation and tougher security for high-profile political figures.
A witness at the scene, Jin Jeong-hwa, emphasized the need for stronger and professional security protection for political leaders, beyond just police monitoring.
Lee had been leading the party to retain the parliamentary majority it holds against President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservatives. The election on April 10 is pivotal, with the conservatives vying to win back a majority for the first time since 2016 and support President Yoon Suk Yeol’s pro-business policies.
The attack, captured in footage at an outdoors public event, shocked Lee’s party and rivals, who condemned all violence against political figures.
Lee was airlifted from Busan, where the attack occurred, to Seoul for surgery to reconstruct the jugular vein and insert a supporting tube. He is conscious and recovering in the intensive care unit.
The leader of the conservative People Power Party scaled back scheduled public events, and both parties urged members to refrain from comments that could inflame voters as Lee recuperates.
Lee lost to Yoon by less than 1% in a bitterly fought presidential election and has faced bribery allegations stemming from a development project when he was mayor of a city near Seoul. He denies wrongdoing.
(Reporting by Jack Kim, Ju-min Park, Jihyun Jeon and Daewoung Kim; Editing by Sonali Paul)
