(Seoul) South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, operated on Tuesday after being stabbed in the neck during a trip, remained hospitalized Wednesday but was released from intensive care, while police investigate the motive of the attack.
Democratic Party leader Mr Lee was walking in the port city of Busan, surrounded by journalists and his supporters after visiting an airport, when a man stabbed him in the neck.
Injured in the jugular vein, the 59-year-old politician was first transported to Busan hospital, then by plane to the capital Seoul where he underwent a two-hour operation.
Placed in intensive care, he was then transferred Wednesday evening to a traditional hospitalization ward, according to the Yonhap news agency, citing the Democratic Party.
“Busan medical staff indicated that if the attacker’s knife had hit Lee’s carotid artery, he could have been killed instantly,” lawmaker Jung Chung-rae said at a meeting of the Democratic Party.
“His condition is so serious that visits are difficult,” he added, while the opposition leader was still in intensive care.
Kang Cheong-hee, a doctor and party member, added that the leader suffered “a serious injury” that damaged 60 percent of the circumference of his internal jugular vein. Mr Lee is “recovering, but absolute stability is required at the moment”, the MP said.
Searches
Police said Wednesday they were seeking an arrest warrant for the 66-year-old suspect, identified only by his surname Kim, who was arrested at the scene, according to Yonhap news agency. This warrant should allow the suspect to be kept in custody.
A search warrant for the suspect’s home and office was also issued, Yonhap said, adding that the police were giving priority to clarifying the motive for the attack.
Authorities plan to bring attempted murder charges against the attacker, who told police, according to Yonhap, that his intention was to kill Mr. Lee.
“The attacker’s confession that he intended to kill is absolutely shocking,” MP Jung responded.
The suspect had approached his victim asking for an autograph, according to a witness interviewed by local television channel YTN.
A real estate agent in South Chungcheong Province, some 115 kilometers south of Seoul, he was facing financial difficulties, according to Yonhap.
Fake news
In the 2022 presidential election, Lee Jae-myung was narrowly defeated by his opponent Yoon Suk Yeol, from the conservative ranks.
South Korea is preparing for legislative elections on April 10, in which the ruling conservative party hopes to regain a majority for the first time since 2016.
For the Democratic Party, a legislative victory is seen as essential before the 2027 presidential vote. Mr. Lee faced calls to resign in his party before the April elections.
Shortly after the attack, false reports began circulating online, with some claiming the attack was entirely staged.
Democratic lawmaker Jung Chung-rae denounced the misleading publications. “Headlines like ‘Fake Blood with Fake Knife’ and ‘YouTubers Spread Conspiracy Theories’ make me wonder how people can be so cruel and corrupt,” he said.
Several South Korean politicians have been attacked in recent years.
In 2022, an elderly man hit Song Young-gil, who previously led the Democratic Party, in the head with a blunt object.
In 2006, Park Geun-hye, then head of the conservative party and later president, was attacked with a knife during a rally.
Democrat Lee Jae-myung is seen as a potential presidential candidate in 2027. But his image has been tarnished by a series of scandals and he is due to appear in a corruption trial linked to a company suspected of illegally transferring 8 million dollars to North Korea.
Five people linked to the various scandals affecting Mr Lee have been found dead, several after suspected suicides.