Knife-wielding Attacker Slashes Face Of U.S. Ambassador In South Korea

Handout photo of U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Lippert leaving after he was slashed in the face by a member of a pro-Korean unification group at a public forum in central Seoul

U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Mark Lippert went through a two-and-a-half hours of surgery after he was slashed in the face by a Korean nationalist in an attack at a breakfast forum in Seoul on Thursday to discuss Korean reunification. Reuters report:

Lippert, 42, was bleeding from deep wounds to his face and wrist but was able to walk after the attack. Doctors said later his condition was stable after “very successful” surgery that required 80 stitches in his face.

The assailant was caught and identified by police as 55-year-old Kim Ki-jong. In 2010, Kim tried to attack the Japanese ambassador to South Korea by throwing a piece of concrete and was given a suspended jail term, according to police.

The attack was a protest against joint military exercises by South Korean and U.S. troops, which Kim said interfered with reconciliation between North and South Korea, according to police following an interrogation.

Police are considering whether to charge him for attempted homicide, a police official involved in the case said.

Witnesses and police said Kim used a small fruit knife in the attack, which took place in a government arts center across the street from the heavily guarded U.S. embassy on the South Korean capital’s main ceremonial thoroughfare.