▲ Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, lies down after he was attacked by an assailant on the left side of his neck during a visit to the construction site of an airport on Gadeok Island off the southeastern port city of Busan on Jan. 2, 2024. (Yonhap)
▲ Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is transferred to a hospital after he was stabbed in the neck during a visit to the southeastern port city of Busan on Jan. 2, 2024. (Yonhap)

(4th LD) opposition leader-attack

(4th LD) Opposition leader Lee attacked in Busan; wound not life-threatening, but additional bleeding feared

(ATTN: CHANGES lead, headline, photo)

By Kim Han-joo and Lee Haye-ah

SEOUL/BUSAN, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) -- Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck during a visit to the southeastern port city of Busan on Tuesday and was airlifted to Seoul for surgery amid fears of additional bleeding, though the wound is not life-threatening, officials said.

Lee, the chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), was stabbed on the left side of his neck by an unidentified man at 10:27 a.m. after touring the construction site of a new airport on Busan's Gadeok Island.

Lee was promptly transported to Pusan National University Hospital while conscious and underwent emergency treatment for a laceration of approximately 1 centimeter in his neck, according to fire authorities.

Lee was then airlifted by helicopter to Seoul National University Hospital for surgery, they said.

The DP said there are concerns about potential massive bleeding around Lee's jugular vein.

Eyewitnesses recount that the male suspect, appeared to be in his 60s or 70s, approached the politician under the guise of a supporter, requesting an autograph amid a crowd of supporters and reporters.

The assailant then proceeded to carry out the attack with an unidentified weapon measuring approximately 20-30 centimeters in length.

The suspect was arrested at the scene and hauled away by police.

He has maintained his silence regarding both his identity and motive, according to police officers.

President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed deep concern over Lee's safety, and ordered the police and relevant authorities to swiftly determine the facts and make every effort to quickly transport Lee to a hospital and provide him with treatment, according to his spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung.

Yoon also stressed that such violence should never be tolerated under any circumstances, Kim said.

The DP condemned the attack on its leader, categorizing it as an act of terror and a threat to democracy.

"This should never have happened under any circumstances," the DP's chief spokesperson, Rep. Kwon Chil-seung, told reporters in front of the hospital.

The country's police chief announced the formation of a special investigation team in Busan to conduct a thorough and swift inquiry into the attack.

"Security protection for key personnel will be strengthened to prevent similar incidents from occurring," Yoon Hee-keun, the commissioner general of the National Police Agency, said in a press release.

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