A request that this article title be changed to Attempted assassination of Lee Jaemyung is under discussion . Please do not move this article until the discussion is closed. |
Attempted assassination of Lee Jae-myung | |
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Location | Gadeokdo, Busan, South Korea |
Date | 2 January 2024 10:27 a.m. KST [1] |
Attack type | Assassination attempt, [2] stabbing |
Weapons | Knife [3] |
Injured | Lee Jae-myung |
Accused | Kim Jin-sung [4] |
On 2 January 2024, Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed while visiting the construction site of an airport in Gadeokdo, Busan. [5] Hospitalized at Pusan National University twenty minutes after the attack, Lee was subsequently transferred by helicopter to Seoul National University Hospital in a conscious state. [6] [3] The suspect was arrested at the scene and said his intentions were to assassinate Lee. [2]
Political violence has occurred several times before in South Korea. [7] In 2006, then-Grand National Party leader Park Geun-hye was attacked with a knife at an event, while her father Park Chung-hee was assassinated by his spy chief in 1979. [8] In 2015, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark W. Lippert survived a stabbing attack while attending a breakfast conference in Seoul. [9] In 2022, then-Democratic Party of Korea leader Song Young-gil was attacked with a hammer. [10]
In 2022, Lee narrowly lost to Yoon Suk-yeol [11] [10] in the closest presidential election in South Korean history. [12]
On 7 May 2022, Lee declared his candidacy in the June 2022 South Korean by-elections running for Incheon Gyeyang District B vacant seat in the National Assembly. [13] Lee won the seat in the elections on 1 June 2022. Afterwards, he was elected as the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea on 28 August. [14]
At the time of the attack, Lee was being prosecuted for corruption, accusations which he denied and said were politically motivated. [15] The attack took place nearly three months before the 2024 legislative election. [3]
On 2 January, Lee was holding a press conference at Gadeokdo New Airport. [16] At 10:27 a.m. KST, [1] an individual approached Lee and asked for an autograph before stabbing him on the left side of his neck. [8] Officials at the scene immediately shielded Lee, and one of them covered his neck with a cloth. It was reported that Lee was bleeding but remained conscious. [11] Lee was taken to an ambulance at 10:47 a.m. and arrived at the regional trauma center at Pusan National University Hospital at 11:16 a.m. [17] He was subsequently transferred by helicopter to Seoul National University Hospital in a conscious state. [6] [3]
It was reported that Lee suffered a one-centimeter cut to his neck, with minor bleeding. [18] Medical officials at Pusan National University Hospital said that Lee sustained damage to his jugular vein, and were concerned about additional massive bleeding. [3]
Lee underwent emergency surgery at Seoul National University Hospital later in the day. [19] [3] [2] Democratic Party officials said that the surgery "took longer than expected" and medical officials were closely monitoring his progress. [2]
The event was recorded live, with video footage of the attack airing on South Korean broadcast stations. [19]
A witness said more than a dozen police officers were present at the moment of the attack. [20]
A male [21] suspect, Kim Jin-sung, a real estate dealer [4] who was wearing a paper crown reading "I'm Lee Jae-myung" and was carrying a sign that said "200 seats at the National Assembly", [3] [22] was promptly arrested. [23] He was reported to have been born in 1957. [2] In December 2023, he had attended an event where Lee headlined in Busan, with video footage showing the suspect waiting for Lee but being unable to make close contact. [2] The suspect was wearing the same paper crown. [2] At a press conference, police stated that the suspect had bought his weapon online. [16] The weapon used was described as an 18-centimeter-long knife. [3] [2] Democratic Party spokesman Kwon Chil-seung said during a briefing that the attacker was believed to have used a sashimi knife. [19] One media outlet reported that he refused to answer questions about his motives. [6] Police obtained a warrant and searched his home. [24] The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said it planned to charge Kim with attempted murder, as he confessed he intended to kill Lee. [2]
President Yoon Suk Yeol stated that the stabbing was an "act of terror... and a serious threat to democracy" and ordered authorities to launch an investigation into the attack. [16] [10] Democratic Party spokesman Kwon Chil-seung stated, "This incident is a terror attack on Representative Lee Jae-myung and a serious threat to democracy that should not happen under any circumstances." [19]
Yoon Hee-keun, Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, announced the formation of a special investigation team in Busan to conduct an inquiry into the attack. [2]
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