South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae Myung injured in knife attack

The attack took place at a construction site in the port city of Busan in the south of the country. Lee had just been surrounded by journalists when the attacker fought his way through the crowd and attacked the politician. As an eyewitness reported on local TV station YTN, Lee was "on his way to his car and talking to reporters when the attacker asked him for an autograph before slashing him in the neck with what looked like a knife".

TV footage showed Lee collapsing, people rushing to his aid and a cloth being pressed to his neck. The 59-year-old was first taken to a hospital in Busan and then flown to a clinic in the capital Seoul. According to the party, he was operated on there for two hours. The attack had damaged his jugular vein. However, Lee was conscious after the operation and is "recovering in intensive care" from the procedure.

The attacker was subdued and arrested by police officers and bystanders immediately after the attack. According to a police spokesman, he was a man around 60 years old. He had used "an 18-centimetre-long knife with a 13-centimetre-long blade".

The police spokesman did not provide any information about the possible motives for the crime. According to the Yonhap news agency, the man said during initial questioning that he had wanted to kill Lee. He is to be charged with attempted murder.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, against whom Lee narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election, was shocked and expressed his "deep concern". Society should "not tolerate this kind of violence under any circumstances", said the conservative president according to his spokesperson.

On his path to political success, 59-year-old Lee has repeatedly highlighted his life story and his background as a former child laborer in a factory and a young school dropout. According to the latest polls, he is considered a promising candidate for the presidential election in 2027.

However, Lee's bid for the top office has been overshadowed by a series of scandals. In September, he narrowly escaped arrest in connection with various corruption allegations. In addition, the opposition politician is to stand trial for bribery in connection with a company suspected of having illegally transferred eight million dollars to North Korea.

Politicians have already been the target of several physical attacks in South Korea. In 2022, Lee's predecessor as head of the Democratic Party, Song Young Gil, was hit on the head with an object by an elderly man. In 2006, then Conservative Party leader Park Geun Hye, who later became the country's president, was attacked with a knife at a rally. The attack left a scar on her face.