Motive unknown: Police arriving to seize materials at the office of the man who stabbed Lee in Asan, South Korea. — AP
SEOUL: South Korean police raided the residence and office of a man who stabbed the country’s opposition leader, Lee Jae-myung, in the neck in an attack that left him hospitalised in an intensive care unit, officials said.
The assault occurred when Lee was passing through a throng of journalists after visiting the proposed site of a new airport in the southeastern city of Busan on Tuesday.
The attacker, posing as a supporter, approached Lee asking for his autograph before he took out a 18cm knife to attack him.
After receiving emergency treatment in Busan, Lee was transported by a helicopter to the Seoul National University Hospital for surgery. Cho Jeong-sik, the party’s secretary general, said yesterday the two-hour surgery was successful and that Lee remained in the hospital’s intensive care unit for recovery.
Police and emergency officials earlier said Lee was conscious after the attack and wasn’t in critical condition.
The suspect was detained by police immediately after the attack. Police said he told investigators he attempted to kill Lee and that he had plotted his attack alone, but his motive is unknown.
Busan police said they sent officers to search the suspect’s residence and office in the central city of Asan as part of their investigation. — AP
