According to a surgeon who performed the operation, opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung of South Korea was no longer in intensive care and was recovering from surgery to repair a major vein that was sliced in a knife attack two days earlier. Professor Min Seung-kee, who operated on Lee, stated that the repair of the jugular vein was a difficult procedure and that there could be post-surgery complications that need to be monitored.
Min added, “Fortunately, (Lee) is recovering well,” while speaking at a news briefing held at Seoul National University Hospital’s vascular surgery unit.
The attack occurred in Busan, where a man in his 60s, disguised as a supporter, approached Lee at an outdoor public event and stabbed him in the neck with a camping knife. The assailant was promptly subdued and taken into police custody.
The incident received widespread condemnation from Lee’s party and his political rivals. It also raised concerns about the safety of high-profile politicians in South Korea, despite the country’s strict gun controls.
Lee, a former progressive lawyer known for his strong rhetoric, leads the liberal opposition party that aims to maintain its parliamentary majority against President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservatives in the upcoming April election.
The suspect, who reportedly held extreme political views, is currently in police custody and faces a court hearing on a warrant for his formal detention as part of a criminal investigation on an attempted murder charge.
(Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
