A man who stabbed South Korea’s opposition leader, Lee Jae-Myung, in the neck earlier this year has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by a regional court.
The attack occurred in January in Busan, where the assailant, identified as Kim Jin-Seong, approached Lee for an autograph and then carried out the assault. The court found Kim guilty of attempted murder and violating election laws related to the incident, which took place ahead of the April parliamentary elections. Prosecutors had initially sought a 20-year prison term for the attacker.
This incident, described as the worst assault on a politician in South Korea in nearly two decades, underscores the security challenges faced by public figures during election campaigns. The sentencing follows a period of legal proceedings in Busan, where the judge delivered the verdict and provided Kim Jin-Seong with a week to appeal the sentence and conviction.
In January, a disturbing incident unfolded in Busan as a 67-year-old man, identified as Mr. Kim, violently attacked Lee Jae-myung, then the leader of South Korea’s main opposition party, with a knife. The assailant’s intention, as revealed during the police investigation, was to prevent Lee from ascending to the presidency. This deliberate act, characterized by police as a severe challenge to the country’s electoral system, resulted in Mr. Kim being sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempted murder and violating election laws.
Lee Jae-Myung, who suffered critical injuries, including a slashed jugular vein, underwent extensive medical treatment and spent eight days in the hospital recovering from the attack. The assault occurred amidst heightened political tensions leading up to South Korea’s parliamentary elections, where Lee’s Democratic Party and other opposition factions secured significant gains against President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservative ruling party.
The attack on Lee, known for his liberal stance and previous bid for the presidency, sparked widespread concern in South Korea, where political discourse has generally been peaceful since the country transitioned to democracy in the 1990s.
The court revealed that Mr. Kim had long harbored animosity towards Lee due to political differences, meticulously planning the assault by practicing neck stabbings and following Lee to five public events.
This incident occurred ahead of the April parliamentary elections, where President Yoon Suk-yeol’s People Power Party (PPP) was defeated by Lee’s Democratic Party (DP) and its allies. Despite the attack and subsequent challenges, Lee, who recently resigned as DP leader, is expected to run for the party leadership again in August.
This attack on Lee is part of a troubling pattern of violence against South Korean politicians, with previous high-profile incidents including the 2022 attack on former DP leader Song Young-gil and the 2006 knife attack on future President Park Geun-hye. The verdict emphasized the detrimental impact of such violence on social consensus and democratic principles, highlighting the increasing political tensions in the country.
