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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s opposition leader was injured by a knife-wielding attacker Tuesday, officials said.
A police official in the southeastern city of Busan said the injury to Lee Jae-myung, chairman of South Korea’s Democratic Party, was non life-threatening. A male suspect is in custody, the official said.
Photos of Lee showed him on the ground surrounded by people. In the images, someone is seen pressing something against Lee’s neck.
Another image shows Lee being carried on a stretcher outfitted with what appears to be a neck brace.
The official described the wound as less than half an inch long. Lee was conscious and experienced little blood loss, the official told NBC News in an interview.
South Korea’s President, Yoon Suk Yeol, ordered police and other officials to respond quickly to the incident and ensure Lee receives “the best of care,” a presidential spokesperson said.
“In addition, the president stressed zero tolerance to violence and said that violence should never be tolerated under any circumstances,” the spokesperson said.
Citing emergency officials, the Associated Press reported the attack occurred while Lee was visiting the construction site of a new airport in Busan.
The suspect has not been identified, and authorities did not provide additional details about the nature of the attack.
Lee narrowly lost the country’s presidential contest in 2022 to Yoon.
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