South Korean politician is attacked in Seoul

A South Korean lawmaker was attacked in Seoul on Thursday and taken to a hospital, her party's leader said.

Bae Hyunjin, from the ruling People Power Party, has become the second South Korean politician to be physically attacked in public in less than a month. She was being treated at Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, party leader Han Dong-hoon told reporters on Thursday evening.

“This is something that should never have happened,” he said, “and the truth must be exposed and the perpetrator must be brought to justice.”

Ms. Bae, 40, a former anchor of South Korean broadcaster MBC, is in her first term as a lawmaker. She was elected in 2020. She briefly served as spokeswoman when South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was elected president after his election in 2022.

Doctors at the hospital where she was treated told reporters that she suffered a laceration of about a centimeter and that there was no significant bleeding or fractures.

The chief detective at the Gangnam District police station, where the attack took place, could not immediately be reached.

On January 2, a man stabbed Lee Jae-myung, the leader of South Korea's main opposition party, in the neck as the politician pushed through a crowd. Mr Lee was taken to hospital and released about eight days later. The suspect, who said he was politically motivated, was arrested and is expected to be charged with attempted murder.

In a statement on social media, Mr Lee called Thursday's episode “incredible” and said: “No political terrorism of any kind is acceptable.”

The attacks, coming just weeks apart against politicians on both sides of the political spectrum, could be an indication of the growing divisions and resentment that have colored South Korean politics.

Physical attacks on politicians are rare in South Korea. The most notable incident was a 2006 attack on then-opposition leader Park Geun-hye, a conservative politician who would later become president. She was punched in the face by a man who was a fierce critic.