Lee Jae-myung, who leads South Korea's opposition party, was stabbed in the neck during an assassination attempt, and the entire thing was caught on camera.
In the video, Lee is seen answering questions from a gaggle of reporters while visiting the city of Busan. He was there to tour an airport building project. Suddenly, a man makes his way through the crowd and stabs the political leader in the neck. A scuffle ensues as the attacker is brought to the ground by what looks like security forces.
BREAKING: South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung stabbed at press conference, current condition unknown pic.twitter.com/YjX6nKPeC1
— BNO News (@BNONews) January 2, 2024
South Korea's opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck during a visit to the southern port city of Busan on Tuesday, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Lee was attacked by an unidentified man while touring the site of a proposed airport, Yonhap said.
The assailant appeared to be a man in his 50s or 60s. He approached Lee asking for an autograph, then suddenly lunged forward and attack him, news reports said. The assailant was quickly subdued and arrested at the scene, Yonhap said.
It was not immediately clear what caused the attack, though the assailant was confirmed to have been detained so a motive will likely be forthcoming. Recent reports have indicated internal divisions inside South Korea's Democratic Party, with calls for Lee to resign his position.
Lee, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, on Saturday rejected former party leader Lee Nak-yon's call for his resignation.
The Democratic Party, which is South Korea's more left-wing political entity, controls the parliament while the presidency is held by Yoon Suk Yeol, a member of the more conservative People Power Party. Lee has favored a gradual normalization with North Korea's communist government, a factor that also could have played a role in the attack.
This is a developing story.
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