South Korea’s opposition leader, Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, remains in intensive care as of January 3, a day after an alarming knife attack that shocked political circles ahead of a crucial election just three months away.
In a surgery lasting over two hours on January 3, surgeons worked to repair a major blood vessel in Lee’s neck, which was severed during the attack by an assailant wielding a knife.
Calling the assault a “clear challenge against democracy and a threat against democracy,” Democratic Party floor leader Hong Ik-pyo emphasized the need for a swift investigation and heightened security measures for prominent political figures. The incident has reignited concerns about the safety of campaign trails in a country with a history of political violence, despite stringent restrictions on gun ownership.
Jin Jeong-hwa, a party supporter who witnessed the stabbing, highlighted the necessity for dedicated and professional security protection for political leaders, emphasizing the inadequacy of relying solely on the police for monitoring.
Lee, a progressive figure who narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election, was rallying his party to maintain its parliamentary majority against President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservatives. The upcoming election on April 10 is pivotal, with conservatives aiming to regain a majority for the first time since 2016, supporting Yoon’s pro-business policies.
The attack, captured in footage of the public event, shocked both Lee’s party and rivals, leading to widespread condemnation of violence against political figures. President Yoon denounced the incident as an act of “terror” and expressed solidarity with Lee’s recovery.
Lee, airlifted from Busan to Seoul on January 2, underwent surgery to reconstruct the jugular vein and insert a tube to support the damaged vessel. Currently in the intensive care unit, he is conscious and recovering.
The suspect, swiftly subdued by party members and police, is a man born in 1957 from the central region, possibly planning the attack for days with an 18-cm camping knife.
In response to the incident, the leader of the conservative People Power Party scaled back public events, and both parties urged members to avoid comments that could provoke voters as Lee recuperates. Despite losing the presidential election to Yoon by a narrow margin, Lee faces bribery allegations, which he denies, stemming from a development project during his tenure as mayor near Seoul.
