(NewsInsights.org) – South Korean police immediately captured and detained a 67-year-old alleged attacker who attempted to assassinate Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung using a concealed 6.7-inch knife on Tuesday, January 2, in Busan. Immediate and expert medical care saved the 60-year-old opposition leader’s life, but he faces a long recovery after suffering a 0.35-inch cut to his jugular and severe blood loss.
Lee toured Busan on Tuesday, inspecting the proposed site of a new airport that would serve the city. As the liberal leader walked among a group of journalists, the assailant approached him, looking like a political supporter. The attacker wore a paper crown bearing Lee’s name and asked for an autograph. As Lee dropped his guard, the alleged perpetrator pulled out the knife and stabbed the political leader in the neck.
Security forces mobbed the attacker immediately and began rendering aid to Lee. Doctors stabilized the leader and transported him from Busan to Seoul National University Hospital for emergency surgery. Party Secretary General Cho Jeong-sik told reporters the two-hour surgery was successful but that Lee would require critical care in the hospital’s intensive care unit to recover.
Cardiothoracic surgeon and Democratic Party member Kang Cheong Hee later said the leader suffered a very critical wound and that it was “no exaggeration to say he’s survived by divine luck.” Kang didn’t participate in Lee’s surgery.
On Wednesday, police raided the home and real estate offices of the alleged attacker, hoping to understand the motivation behind this attack. The suspect told police he intended to kill Lee, and he planned the event alone and had no accomplices. However, he would not tell them why. Investigators were looking at electronic records, as well.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have remained elevated because of ongoing weapons development and testing by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Kim has continued taking an aggressive stance with his southern neighbor and Japan over their alliances with the US. Recently, the North Korean leader began selling weapons and munitions to Russia to aid the Kremlin’s battle against Ukraine.
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