South Korea
The opposition leader speaks of “political terrorism” and calls for a full investigation into the attack on Bae Hyun-jin, a close confidant of the president
Associated Press
Fri Jan 26, 2024 01.55 GMT
A lawmaker from South Korea's ruling party was treated for cuts at a Seoul hospital after she was attacked by an unknown man who repeatedly hit her in the head with what appeared to be a rock.
A police official in Seoul's Apgujeong district said a suspect was arrested at the site of the attack on lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin in southern Seoul.
Thursday's attack came weeks after a man stabbed opposition leader Lee Jae-myung in the neck in the southern city of Busan, raising further concerns about the country's highly polarized politics.
Security camera footage showed the suspect, wearing a gray skullcap and mask, approaching Bae in the hallway of a building and appearing to start a conversation before hitting her with what looked like a small rock.
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He continued to hit Bae with the object even after she fell. The video shows Bae resisting alone, waving his arms and grabbing the man's wrist before another person appears and tries to intervene.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted Bae's aide as saying the suspect asked, “Are you lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin?” before hitting her in the back of the head with a rock about the size of his fist.
Calls to Bae's office were not immediately returned.
Bae, a former television news anchor, was elected in 2020 and is considered a close confidant of President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yoon's office released a statement calling the attack on Bae an “unacceptable incident that must be strictly investigated.”
Park Sukh Que, a neurosurgeon at Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Seoul, said Bae suffered minor head injuries, including scratches and a cut, and was hospitalized in a stable condition. The force of the attack caused Bae to fall on his back, but there were no signs of a concussion or internal bleeding, Park said.
“Fortunately, the bleeding was not very serious,” Park said at a news conference. “She has a headache and is showing some anxiety after being shaken by the attack.”
The motive for the attack was not immediately clear. South Korean media, citing anonymous sources, reported that the suspect told police he was 15 years old.
The man who attacked opposition leader Lee told investigators after his arrest that he wanted to kill him to prevent him from becoming a future president. Lee was released from the hospital after eight days of treatment.
“My scar hurts again after this incredible incident,” Lee said of the attack on Bae, describing it as an act of “political terrorism” that should not be tolerated.
“There must be a thorough and decisive response. We pray for Rep. Bae’s speedy recovery and our thoughts are with her family,” Lee said in a statement.
Han Dong-hoon, chairman of the ruling People Power party, called for a thorough investigation and “strict punishment” for the attacker.
Thae Yong Ho, another lawmaker from the party, called the attack a “serious challenge” to South Korean democracy. “The politics of hate, anger and violence must come to an end,” Thae, a former North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea in 2016, said in a Facebook post.