South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is stabbed in the neck during a press conference in Busan
- The 59-year-old politician had been visiting the construction site of a new airport on Gadeok Island when he was stabbed in the neck
- Video shared on social media shows Lee walking through a group of reporters when an unknown man approaches him with a knife
- Lee, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, on Saturday rejected former party leader Lee Nak-yon’s call for his resignation.
The leader of South Korea’s opposition party was stabbed in the neck on Tuesday by a man who lunged at him during a news conference, causing him to fall to the ground as aides tried to staunch the blood.
Graphic video shows Lee Jae-myung, a left-wing 2022 presidential candidate, being attacked while visiting the southern port city of Busan.
The attacker was immediately wrestled to the ground and arrested, but the name has yet to be released and no motive has been given.
Lee, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, on Saturday rejected former party leader Lee Nak-yon’s call for his resignation.
The 59-year-old politician had visited the construction site of a new airport on Gadeok Island and was targeted during a question-and-answer session with reporters.
Lee was seen lying on the ground with his eyes closed and the hands of other people around him pressing a handkerchief to the side of his neck.
Lee Jae-myung was pictured on the ground after the attack with a handkerchief covering the wound on his neck
The attack took place when the politician was visiting the construction site of a new airport in Busan on January 2 (photo)
Lee Jae-myung, the leader of South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party, speaks during a meeting of the party’s Supreme Council in December
Lee was taken to hospital.
Lee, a human rights lawyer, entered politics in 2005 and became mayor of Seongnam, the country’s 10th largest city, in 2010.
He resigned in 2018 after a successful bid to become governor of Gyeonggi province – the country’s most populous province, which includes the capital Seoul. However, Seoul is administratively separated.
More than half of South Korea’s population lives in Gyeonggi.
Lee ran for president in 2022 and narrowly lost to Yoon Suk-yeol, the current president.
He rose to prominence with an aggressive pandemic response, a populist economic agenda and by promoting an outsider image.
Lee campaigned on a promise to introduce a universal basic income of 1 million won ($800) per year for every individual, paid for through taxes on carbon emissions and a new nationwide land tax, where homeowners would pay taxes on country where they live. occupy homes.
He favored warmer relations with North Korea and said during his campaign that he would send envoys to the US and Pyongyang to try to boost diplomacy.
He said he wanted a roadmap for conditional sanctions relief and phased simultaneous action by North Korea, with a snapback mechanism under which sanctions would be reinstated if North Korea fails to follow through on denuclearization steps.
More to follow…