A South Korean political leader was stabbed in the neck by someone asking for an autograph
- Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, was stabbed in the neck by a bystander.
- The suspect asked for an autograph before attacking Lee, police said.
Lee Jae-myung, South Korea's liberal opposition leader, was stabbed in the neck while visiting the southern city of Busan on Tuesday.
An unidentified man stabbed Lee, 59, in the neck during a Q&A with reporters after he toured a construction site of a new airport. Police said the motive is unclear.
Lee, the head of the main opposition Democratic Party, was airlifted to Pusan National University Hospital shortly after the attack and was conscious. He was, however, still bleeding.
The suspect pretended to be a supporter, senior Busan police officer Sohn Jae-han said in a televised briefing. He got close to Lee by asking for an autograph. The suspect, who South Korean media said was wearing something that looked like a paper crown, was arrested at the scene.
The weapon was a 7-inch knife which had been bought online, police said at a media briefing. According to the Associated Press, police are expected to formally arrest the suspect for alleged attempted murder.
A graphic video purporting to show the assault has been circulating on social media, but Business Insider has not been able to independently verify it.
A spokesman for Lee's party said that his jugular vein, which takes blood from the head to the heart, was damaged. His condition is not thought to be life-threatening.
"After being transferred to Seoul National University Hospital, we plan to operate quickly. We strongly condemn the attack and consider it a clear act of democracy destruction," he said.Lee narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election to the current president, Yoon Suk Yeol.
Yoon condemned the attack and expressed a "deep concern over Lee's safety," according to the president's spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung.
Lee is himself a subject of political scandal in South Korea.
He faces a series of corruption allegations and other criminal charges, including the allegation that he gave private developers illegal favors while he was mayor of Seongnam.
Lee denied all charges against him and went on a three-week hunger strike last year in protest.