China News Service Seoul, January 1 (Liu Xu, Jin Lin) On the morning of the 2nd, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, the largest opposition party in South Korea, was stabbed in the neck while attending an event in Busan.
According to Yonhap News Agency, citing police and other sources, at about 10:27 a.m. that day, Lee Jae-myung was attacked by Kim, who was in his 60s, while inspecting the site of the new airport on Gadeokdo Island in Busan, causing him to suffer a left neck injury and fall to the ground bleeding. Lee Jae-myung was then taken to Busan National University Hospital for emergency treatment, and at around 13 o'clock, he was transferred by helicopter to Seoul National University Hospital for further treatment.
According to the medical staff, Lee Jae-myung suffered damage to the internal jugular vein, so he underwent revascularization surgery including thrombosis removal, and was admitted to the intensive care unit after the operation.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim confessed during a police investigation that he was going to "intentionally kill someone." The police said that Jin was hiding an 18-centimeter-long murder weapon at the time of the crime, which was purchased online last year. Born in 1957, Kim runs a real estate agency in the Asan area of South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, and has no criminal record or accomplices.
The South Korean police will apply for the arrest of the suspect Kim on the charge of "attempted homicide", and investigate the motive for the crime and whether there is any behind-the-scenes operation.
The ruling and opposition parties in South Korea spoke out in unison on this incident. President Yoon Suk-yeol said on the same day that the attack on Lee Jae-myung was absolutely unacceptable, and he expressed concern about Lee Jae-myung's safety and instructed the police and other relevant departments to quickly find out the truth and do their utmost to provide assistance for the transfer and rescue of Lee Jae-myung.
Han Dong-hoon, chairman of the Emergency Response Committee of the ruling People's Power Party, expressed his "sincere hope for a speedy recovery for Rep. Lee" and urged the investigating authorities to conduct a solemn and prompt investigation, clarify the circumstances of the incident, and hold accountable those responsible.
Kwon Qi-sung, the chief spokesman of the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "We strongly condemn the terrorist attack by the attackers" and stressed that "[the attack on Lee Jae-myung] is a clear act of undermining democracy." (ENDS)