South Korea’s opposition leader in ICU after knife attack ahead of election – National | 24CA News
South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party chief Lee Jae-myung remained hospitalized in intensive care on Wednesday, a day after a knife assault on him shocked political leaders who have been vying for the higher hand in a significant election three months away.
Surgeons operated on Lee for greater than two hours late on Wednesday to restore a significant blood vessel in his neck that was sliced when an assailant lunged and stabbed him with a knife.
“The act of terror against Chairman Lee Jae-myung was clearly a challenge against democracy and a threat against democracy,” Democratic Party flooring chief Hong Ik-pyo stated at a celebration management council assembly.
South Korean opposition chief Lee Jae-myung on a stretcher, is carried by rescue group in Busan, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. Lee was attacked and injured by an unidentified man throughout a go to Tuesday to the southeastern metropolis of Busan, emergency officers stated. (Ha Kyung-min/Newsis by way of AP).
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He urged a speedy investigation and harder safety for high-profile political figures, echoing renewed questions concerning the security on marketing campaign trails in a rustic with a historical past of political violence regardless of tight restrictions on gun possession.
Jin Jeong-hwa, a celebration supporter who was a witness on the scene of the stabbing, stated the incident clearly confirmed the necessity for stronger {and professional} safety safety for political leaders, not merely police who’re deployed to watch.
“People like opposition leaders really need a dedicated security detail,” Jin stated in an interview with Reuters. He added it was clear from his expertise at political occasions that Lee was very a lot uncovered to non-public security threats.
Lee, a tricky speaking progressive who narrowly misplaced the 2022 presidential election, had been rallying the celebration to retain the parliamentary majority it holds towards President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservatives.
South Korea holds a pivotal election on April 10 the place the conservatives will attempt to win again a majority for the primary time since 2016 and assist President Yoon Suk Yeol’s pro-business insurance policies together with tax cuts, deregulation and social reforms.
The assault towards Lee, which unfolded rapidly however was broadly captured in footage of the outside public occasion, shocked his celebration and his rivals alike, who condemned all violence towards political figures.
South Korean opposition chief Lee Jae-myung is seen after he was injured in Busan, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. Lee was attacked and injured by an unidentified man throughout a go to Tuesday to the southeastern metropolis of Busan, emergency officers stated. (Sohn Hyung-joo/Yonhap by way of AP).
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Lee was airlifted from Busan, the place the assault occurred, to Seoul on Tuesday the place he obtained surgical procedure to reconstruct the jugular vein that pumps blood from the pinnacle again to the guts and insert a tube to assist the broken vessel.
He was acutely aware and recovering within the intensive care unit, celebration officers stated.
The chief of the conservative People Power Party scaled again scheduled public occasions, and each events urged members to chorus from feedback that might inflame voters as Lee recuperates.
Lee misplaced to Yoon by lower than 1% level of votes, the narrowest margin, in a bitterly fought presidential election and has since confronted bribery allegations stemming from a growth undertaking when he was mayor of a metropolis close to Seoul. He denies wrongdoing.
