South Korea’s main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed on the left side of the neck, while he was touring an under-construction airport site at Gadeokdo, an island in Busan, according to the reports of Korean media. He was left bloodied, but conscious, as per the party officials. Lee Jae-Myung is the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and the presidential candidate of the party during the 2022 elections.
According to the report, he was airlifted and taken to Seoul National University Hospital. However, his injury is not life-threatening. According to the South Korea-based Yonhap news agency, the 66-year-old attacker intended to kill Lee, but the reason behind the attack is still unknown. The assailant was arrested at the scene.
“Security protection for key personnel will be strengthened to prevent similar incidents from occurring,” Yoon Hee-keun, the commissioner general of the National Police Agency, said in a press release.
About Lee Jae-myung
Lee Jae-myung lost the general elections 2022 to the People Power Party, 47.8 per cent to 48.6 per cent. He is under investigation regarding corporate donations and favours at the time when he was the mayor of Seongnam.
There have been corruption charges against Lee for sending 8 million dollars to North Korea, via Ssangbangwool Group, for which the Democratic-majority National Assembly voted in September 2023 for his imprisonment. His party members voted against him and passed the bill with a 149-136 majority vote to arrest him. He was released after the Seoul Central District Court rejected the arrest warrant.