Attempted assassination of Lee Jae-myung explained

Attempted assassination of Lee Jae-myung
Location:Gadeokdo, Busan, South Korea
Time:10:27 a.m. KST
Injuries:Lee Jae-myung
Weapons:Knife
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Accused:Kim Jin-sung

On 2 January 2024, Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed while visiting the construction site of an airport in Gadeokdo, Busan.[1] Hospitalized at Pusan National University twenty minutes after the attack, Lee was subsequently transferred by helicopter to Seoul National University Hospital in a conscious state.[2] The suspect was arrested at the scene and said his intentions were to assassinate Lee.

Background

Political violence has occurred several times before in South Korea.[3] In 2006, then-Grand National Party leader Park Geun-hye was attacked with a knife at an event, while her father Park Chung Hee was assassinated by his spy chief in 1979.[4] In 2015, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark W. Lippert survived a stabbing attack while attending a breakfast conference in Seoul.[5] In 2022, then-Democratic Party of Korea leader Song Young-gil was attacked with a hammer.

In 2022, Lee narrowly lost to Yoon Suk-yeol[6] in the closest presidential election in South Korean history.[7]

On 7 May 2022, Lee declared his candidacy in the June 2022 South Korean by-elections running for Incheon Gyeyang District B vacant seat in the National Assembly.[8] Lee won the seat in the elections on 1 June 2022. Afterwards, he was elected as the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea on 28 August.[9]

At the time of the attack, Lee was being prosecuted for corruption, accusations which he denied and said were politically motivated.[10] The attack took place nearly three months before the 2024 legislative election.

Attack

On 2 January, Lee was holding a press conference at Gadeokdo New Airport. At 10:27 a.m. KST,[11] an individual approached Lee and asked for an autograph before stabbing him on the left side of his neck.[4] Officials at the scene immediately shielded Lee, and one of them covered his neck with a cloth. It was reported that Lee was bleeding but remained conscious.[12] Lee was taken to an ambulance at 10:47 a.m. and arrived at the regional trauma center at Pusan National University Hospital at 11:16 a.m.[13] He was subsequently transferred by helicopter to Seoul National University Hospital in a conscious state.

It was reported that Lee suffered a one-centimeter cut to his neck, with minor bleeding.[14] Medical officials at Pusan National University Hospital said that Lee sustained damage to his jugular vein, and were concerned about additional massive bleeding.[15]

Lee underwent emergency surgery at Seoul National University Hospital later in the day.[15] Democratic Party officials said that the surgery "took longer than expected" and medical officials were closely monitoring his progress.[16]

The event was recorded live, with video footage of the attack airing on South Korean broadcast stations.[17]

A witness said more than a dozen police officers were present at the moment of the attack.[18]

Suspect

A male[19] suspect, Kim Jin-sung, a real estate dealer[20] who was wearing a paper crown reading "I'm Lee Jae-myung" and was carrying a sign that said "200 seats at the National Assembly",[15] [21] was promptly arrested.[22] He was reported to have been born in 1957.[16] In December 2023, he had attended an event where Lee headlined in Busan, with video footage showing the suspect waiting for Lee but being unable to make close contact.[16] The suspect was wearing the same paper crown.[16] At a press conference, police stated that the suspect had bought his weapon online. The weapon used was described as an 18-centimeter-long knife.[15] Democratic Party spokesman Kwon Chil-seung said during a briefing that the attacker was believed to have used a sashimi knife.[17] One media outlet reported that he refused to answer questions about his motives. Police obtained a warrant and searched his home.[23] The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said it planned to charge Kim with attempted murder, as he confessed he intended to kill Lee.[16]

Reactions

President Yoon Suk Yeol stated that the stabbing was an "act of terror... and a serious threat to democracy" and ordered authorities to launch an investigation into the attack.[24] Democratic Party spokesman Kwon Chil-seung stated, "This incident is a terror attack on Representative Lee Jae-myung and a serious threat to democracy that should not happen under any circumstances."[17]

Yoon Hee-keun, Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, announced the formation of a special investigation team in Busan to conduct an inquiry into the attack.[16]

Notes and References

  1. News: South Korean Opposition Leader Is Stabbed . 1 January 2024 . Sang-Hun . Choe . . 1 January 2024 . 2 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240102021703/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/01/world/asia/south-korea-opposition-lee-jae-myung.html . live.
  2. Web site: 2024-01-02 . South Korea opposition chief stabbed, condition not life-threatening . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240102104256/https://www.jpost.com/international/article-780391 . 2 January 2024 . 2024-01-02 . The Jerusalem Post . en-US.
  3. News: January 2, 2024 . South Korea's recent history of political violence . Reuters . live . https://archive.today/20240102170805/https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-koreas-recent-history-political-violence-2024-01-02/ . 2 January 2024.
  4. Web site: 1 January 2024 . South Korea opposition chief stabbed in neck . https://archive.today/20240102023109/https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-opposition-chief-stabbed-during-visit-busan-yonhap-2024-01-02/ . 2 January 2024 . 1 January 2024 . Reuters.
  5. Choe Sang-hun & Michael D. Shear, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Is Hospitalized After Knife Attack, New York Times, March 4, 2015.
  6. Web site: Kim . Hyung-Jin . Jiwon . Song . 2024-01-02 . South Korean opposition leader is stabbed in the neck by a knife-wielding man . 2024-01-02 . AP News . en . 2 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240102082715/https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-opposition-leader-attacked-47eb0b444b1f9620704d7087d1f8ffd7 . live.
  7. News: Ng . Kelly . 2024-01-02 . Lee Jae-myung: South Korea opposition leader stabbed in neck on visit to Busan . en-GB . 2024-01-03 . 2 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240102102459/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-67860330 . live .
  8. News: Lee . Haye-ah . 8 May 2022 . (LEAD) Lee Jae-myung declares bid for parliamentary seat in Incheon . . 8 May 2022 . 20 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220920170813/https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20220508001151315?section=national/politics . live.
  9. News: Lee . Minji . 28 August 2022 . (2nd LD) Ex-presidential candidate Lee elected DP's new leader . en . . 5 September 2022 . 5 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220905012416/https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20220826004051315 . live.
  10. Web site: 2024-01-02 . South Korean political opposition leader Lee Jae-myung stabbed in neck in Busan . 2024-01-02 . CBS News . en-US . 2 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240102024523/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lee-jae-myung-stabbed-south-korea/ . live .
  11. Web site: Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung attacked during visit to Busan . 2 January 2024 . Han-joo . Kim . . 2 January 2024 . 2 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240102053946/https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240102003451315 . live.
  12. Web site: South Korean opposition leader stabbed in neck, rushed to hospital . 2024-01-02 . Al Jazeera . en . 2024-01-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240102054017/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/2/south-korean-opposition-leader-stabbed-in-neck-rushed-to-hospital . live.
  13. Web site: 이재명, 부산서 흉기 피습…의식있는 상태서 병원 이송 . 2 January 2024 . Oh . Soo-hee . Park . Gyeong-jun . Han . Joo-hong . Geun-ho . Cha . . 2 January 2024 . ko . Lee Jae-myung, attacked with a weapon in Busan...transported to hospital in conscious state . 2 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240102053921/https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20240102054954001?section=politics/all . live.
  14. Web site: South Korea opposition leader Lee Jae-myung stabbed . 2 January 2024 . . 2 January 2024 . 2 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240102023445/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/02/lee-jae-myung-stabbed-south-korea-opposition-leader-busan-local-media-reports . live.
  15. Web site: Head of South Korean Opposition Party Is Stabbed . MSN . Wall Street Journal . 2 January 2024 . 2 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240102104151/https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/head-of-south-korean-opposition-party-is-stabbed/ar-AA1mkzLs . live.
  16. Web site: 2 January 2024 . Attacked opposition leader Lee's surgery completed, progress closely monitored . https://archive.today/20240103094048/https://m-en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240102003457315 . 3 January 2024 . 2 January 2024 . Yonhap News English.
  17. News: 2 January 2024 . South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung stabbed during event in Busan . The Washington Post . https://archive.today/20240103094302/https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/south-korean-opposition-leader-lee-jae-myung-stabbed-during-event-in-busan/ar-AA1mkJwF . 3 January 2024.
  18. News: Park . Ju-min . Shin . Hyonhee . 2024-01-02 . South Korea opposition chief stabbed in neck, in intensive care . Reuters . 2024-01-02 . https://archive.today/20240102023109/https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-opposition-chief-stabbed-during-visit-busan-yonhap-2024-01-02/ . 2 January 2024.
  19. News: Blair . Gavin . 2024-01-02 . South Korea opposition leader Lee Jae-myung stabbed in the neck . en-GB . The Guardian . 2024-01-02 . 0261-3077 . 2 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240102023445/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/02/lee-jae-myung-stabbed-south-korea-opposition-leader-busan-local-media-reports . live.
  20. News: Sae-jin . Park . 3 January 2024 . Democratic Party to hold emergency meeting to discuss attack on leader Lee Jae-myung . 8 January 2024 . 8 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240108164127/https://news.nate.com/view/20240103n10366 . live .
  21. Web site: South Korean opposition leader stabbed in neck, airlifted to hospital . 2024-01-02 . Al Jazeera . en . 2 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240102054017/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/2/south-korean-opposition-leader-stabbed-in-neck-rushed-to-hospital . live.
  22. News: 2024-01-02 . South Korean opposition leader stabbed in the neck during press conference . en-AU . ABC News . 2024-01-02 . 2024-01-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240102030914/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-02/south-korean-opposition-leader-stabbed/103279102 . live.
  23. Web site: 2024-01-03 . Police Search Home, Offices of Suspected Attacker of South Korean Opposition Leader . 2024-01-03 . Voice of America . en . 3 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240103175815/https://www.voanews.com/a/police-search-home-offices-of-suspected-attacker-of-south-korean-opposition-leader-/7424809.html . live .
  24. Web site: Cho . Joohee . Lee . Hakyung Kate . January 2, 2024 . South Korean opposition leader stabbed, rushed to hospital . 2024-01-02 . ABC News . en . 2 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240102104256/https://abcnews.go.com/International/south-korean-opposition-leader-stabbed-rushed-hospital/story?id=106038456 . live.

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