2024-01-02 05:03:45
South Korea’s opposition leader, Lee Jae-myung, was stabbed in the neck during a public event (EFE)
South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was attacked and wounded Tuesday by an unidentified man during a visit to the southeastern city of Busan, emergency officials said.
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Busan’s emergency office said Lee was attacked while visiting construction sites for a new airport in the city.
Lee was taken consciously to the hospital by an ambulance regarding 20 minutes later with significant bleeding, while the perpetrator of the attack, a man between 60 and 70 years old, was immediately arrested, according to the Yonhap agency.
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After receiving emergency care at the Pusan National University Hospital, Lee was transferred by helicopter to the capital to undergo surgery at the Seoul National University Hospital, according to PD sources cited by Yonhap who also indicated that the politician lost a lot of blood due to the attack.
The leader of the main opposition party – the Democratic Party – was conscious, but his exact status was unknown.
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According to eyewitnesses and images broadcast on television, the perpetrator of the attack approached Lee, apparently pretending to be one of his followers and asking for an autograph.
The police arrested the man at the scene. The aggressor was wearing something similar to a crown on his head (REUTERS)
The man attacked the liberal politician by surprise by stabbing him with an object that has not yet been identified and that would have a length of between 20 and 30 centimeters.
Television video showed Lee lying on the floor and a person pressing a tissue on his neck to stop the bleeding.
According to reports, police detained the man at the scene. The attacker wore something resembling a crown on his head.
Lee lost the 2022 presidential election to President Yoon Suk Yeol by a narrow margin.
Lee, a former provincial governor, is known for his outspoken style. His supporters see him as an anti-elitist hero capable of reforming politics, rooting out corruption and solving growing economic inequality. His critics see him as a dangerous populist who exacerbates divisions and demonizes his conservative opponents.
Both South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and the leader of the ruling conservative People’s Power Party (PPP), Han Dong-hoon, have strongly condemned the attack and called for a full investigation into what happened.
(With information from AP and EFE)
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