**South Korean Democratic Party Leader Lee Jae-myung Stabbed in Neck at Public Event**
*News updated at 06:12 CET.*
The leader of the South Korean Democratic Party (DP), Lee Jae-myung, was stabbed in the neck on Tuesday (01/02/2024) during a public event in the city of Busan, about 350 kilometers southeast of Seoul. He was transferred from Busan to the capital of South Korea for emergency surgery.
The incident occurred at 10:27 local time (1:27 GMT) during an event on the land that will host the new Busan airport on the island of Gadeok. A man attacked Lee, stabbing him in the left side of the neck.
Footage aired on South Korean television showed Lee on the ground while someone held a scarf around his neck. The attacker, who pretended to be a follower, lunged at Lee and hit him with an unidentified object before fleeing the scene. Lee was taken to the hospital with significant bleeding, while the perpetrator of the attack was immediately arrested, according to the Yonhap agency.
The South Korean President and the leader of the ruling conservative People’s Power Party have strongly condemned the attack and called for a full investigation. Lee lost last year’s presidential election to conservative Yoon Suk Yeol. He had become a figure in his party, in part due to his story of improvement since his beginnings as a child worker in a factory, but his presidential candidacy was complicated by several scandals.