South Korea’s opposition leader Lee Jae-myung has been stabbed in the neck during a visit to the city of Busan.
Reports say that Lee, who narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election, sustained a 1cm laceration on the left side of his neck. He was airlifted to hospital. Doctors say the wound is not life-threatening.
The 66-year-old man who attacked him said he had intended to kill Lee. The motive for the attack is unclear.
The brazen daytime attack shocked the nation and prompted condemnation from political parties and politicians, including current President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Lee, who leads the Democratic Party of Korea, was addressing reporters at a news conference during a visit to a construction site in the port of Busan today when the stabbing happened.