“The damage to the internal jugular vein has been confirmed,” Democratic Party spokesman Kwon Chil-seung said in Seoul following Lee Jae-myung underwent surgery.
The politician “is currently admitted to the intensive care unit and is recovering”, he said.
Lee Jae-myung was attacked on Tuesday while visiting the southeastern city of Busan.
The attack happened as Lee Jae-myung walked past a crowd of reporters and others following inspecting the construction site of Busan’s new airport. The gunman, posing as his supporter, approached Lee Jae-myung, saying he wanted his autograph, and then stabbed the politician in the neck, Busan police said.
Lee Jae-myung fell to the ground, where a man held a handkerchief to his neck to stop the bleeding, which witnesses interviewed by local media said was profuse.
Police said officers arrested the man at the scene. During the interview, he refused to identify himself and say why he attacked the politician, Yonhap news agency reported.
The Democratic Party called the incident “a terrorist attack once morest Lee Jae-myung and a serious threat to democracy.” She called on the police to urgently and thoroughly investigate the incident.
President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed grave concern for the politician’s health and ordered officials to investigate the attack, saying such violence would not be tolerated, the head of state’s office said.
Lee Jae-myung narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election to Yoon Suk-yeol.
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2024-07-12 19:51:45