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Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, was stabbed in the neck by a bystander.
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The suspect asked for an autograph before attacking Lee, eyewitnesses told South Korean media.
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Lee was rushed to the hospital while still conscious, according to the Yonhap News Agency.
Lee Jae-myung, a member of South Korea’s National Assembly and the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, was assaulted while on a visit to the southern city of Busan on Tuesday, the semi-official Yonhap News Agency reported.
According to Yonhap’s report, an unidentified man stabbed Lee, 59, in the neck during a Q&A with reporters after he toured a construction site of a new airport on Gadeok Island. Lee was transferred to Pusan National University Hospital shortly after the attack and was conscious. He was, however, still bleeding.
The suspect pretended to be a supporter of Lee’s, Yonhap reported, citing eyewitnesses, and got close to Lee by asking for an autograph. The suspect, South Korean media said was wearing something that looked like a crown, was arrested at the scene.
A graphic video purporting to show the assault has been circulating around social media, but Business Insider has not been able to independently verify it.
Lee is the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party. The People Power Party currently holds office in South Korea.
Lee narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election to current President Yoon Suk Yeol, who condemned the attack and expressed a “deep concern over Lee’s safety,” according to the president’s spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung.
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