South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae Myung was stabbed in the neck during a visit to the southeastern port city of Busan on Jan. 2 at around 10:27am (9:27am Singapore time).
Lee was conveyed to the hospital while conscious, although he continued to bleed.
He had a gash of about 1cm on his neck, reported Korean news channel YTN.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the incident occurred during a press conference after Lee toured the construction site of a new airport on Busan's Gadeok Island.
What happened
A video posted on X by The Informant showed a crowd of reporters gathered around Lee as he answered their questions.
In the video, a man in a blue paper crown approached the chairman before lunging at him and stabbing the side of his neck with a weapon.
The unidentified weapon was approximately 20cm to 30cm in length, eyewitnesses said.
According to Yonhap, the suspect had pretended to be one of Lee's supporters and approached under the pretense of asking for an autograph.
Members of the crowd rushed to Lee's aid as he collapsed, pressing a handkerchief against the side of his neck.
The suspect was subdued and quickly arrested at the scene, Yonhap reported.
He refused to answer police questions about his motives, Busan Ilbo reported.
Condemned attack
In response to the attack, South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol expressed deep concern over Lee's safety and instructed the police and relevant authorities to swiftly determine what happened.
He also called for Lee to be provided with the necessary treatment to recover, and stressed that violence should never be tolerated under any circumstances.
Lee chairs the main opposition Democratic Party and narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election to conservative Yoon, a former chief prosecutor.
Top image via Yonhap News Agency and The Informant/X(Twitter)