The leader of South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung, remained in critical condition at the hospital on Wednesday, one day after he was attacked with a knife, shocking political figures vying for control of a significant election that is three months away.
Lee was operated on by surgeons for about two hours past the scheduled time on Tuesday in order to repair a significant blood vessel in his neck that was cut when an attacker came at him and stabbed him with a knife.
Democratic Party floor leader Hong Ik-pyo said at a party leadership council meeting said that the act of terror against Chairman Lee Jae-myung was clearly a challenge against democracy and a threat against democracy.
He urged a speedy investigation and tougher security for high-profile political figures, echoing renewed questions about the safety on campaign trails in a country with a history of political violence despite tight restrictions on gun ownership.
Lee, a tough talking progressive who narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election, had been rallying the party to retain the parliamentary majority it holds against President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservatives.
On April 10, South Korea will hold a crucial election in which Yoon’s pro-business policies—such as tax cuts, deregulation, and social reforms—will be supported by the conservatives, who are hoping to regain a majority for the first time since 2016.
The assault on Lee was unexpected by both his party and his opponents, who denounced all forms of violence against public officials. It happened swiftly but was extensively documented on video footage of the outdoor gathering.
Lee was airlifted from Busan, where the attack occurred, to Seoul on Tuesday where he received surgery to reconstruct the jugular vein that pumps blood from the head back to the heart and insert a tube to support the damaged vessel.
He was conscious and recovering in the intensive care unit, party officials said.
The suspect, who was quickly subdued by party members and police officers at the scene, was a man born in 1957 from the central region who may have been in Busan for days, planning the attack with an 18-cm (7-inch) camping knife, police and news reports said.
Investigators searched the suspect’s home and office in the city of Asan, more than 300 km (186 miles) from the site of the attack, local news reported.
The leader of the conservative People Power Party scaled back scheduled public events, and both parties urged members to refrain from comments that could inflame voters as Lee recuperates.
