Lee Jae-myung was stabbed on the left side of his neck by an unidentified man who has been arrested by police.
South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was attacked by an unidentified assailant while speaking to reporters in the southeastern port city of Busan on Tuesday, according to local reports.
The 59-year-old Democratic Party leader was visiting the site of a new airport on Gadeok Island, Busan, at around 10.27 a.m. local time when the incident occurred, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Footage shared on social media showed Mr. Lee walking in a crowd of reporters when a man suddenly approached him, seemingly attempting to get his autograph, and then proceeded to strike him with a knife.
Mr. Lee collapsed on the ground but maintained his consciousness. Yonhap News Agency reported that he was stabbed on the left side of his neck, causing him to bleed.
Following the attack, Mr. Lee was airlifted using a fire department helicopter to Pusan National University Hospital to receive immediate medical treatment for his injury.
Party spokesman Kwon Chil-seung, speaking outside the hospital, said medical staff suspected damage to a jugular vein that carries blood from the head to the heart.
“There is concern that there could be large haemorrhage or additional haemorrhage, according to medical staff,” Mr. Kwon said.
The assailant, who appeared to be wearing a paper crown with Mr. Lee’s name on it, was arrested at the scene.
A Busan police official, Son Je-han, told a news briefing the assailant was born in 1957 and used an 18-cm knife bought online. He did not identify the suspect and said the motive was being investigated.
Local media reported the police will seek the charge of attempted murder against the assailant.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has expressed “deep concern” about Mr. Lee’s safety and ordered the relevant authorities to investigate the attack, according to a statement released by his office.
“The president emphasized that our society should not tolerate such acts of violence under any circumstances,” the statement reads.
