South Korea opposition leader in ICU after stabbing raises questions over security

South Korea’s opposition leader Lee Jae-myung remained hospitalised in intensive care on Wednesday, one day after he was stabbed in an attack that shocked the country and launched calls for better protection for politicians.

Surgeons operated on Lee for more than two hours to repair a major blood vessel in his neck that was sliced when an assailant lunged and stabbed him with a knife.

“The act of terror against Chairman Lee Jae-myung was clearly a challenge against democracy and a threat against democracy,” an official from Lee’s Democratic Party said at a party leadership council meeting.

He urged a speedy investigation and tougher security for high-profile political figures, echoing renewed questions about the safety on campaign trails in a country with a history of political violence despite tight restrictions on gun ownership.

Jin Jeong-hwa, a party supporter who was a witness at the scene of the stabbing, said the incident clearly showed the need for stronger and professional security protection for political leaders, not simply police who are deployed to monitor.

“People like opposition leaders really need a dedicated security detail,” Jin said in an interview with Reuters.

Lee was airlifted from Busan, where the attack occurred, to Seoul on Tuesday where he underwent the surgery. He was conscious and recovering in the intensive care unit, party officials said.

South Korea holds a pivotal parliamentary election on 10 April. Lee, a tough talking progressive who narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election, had been rallying the party to retain the parliamentary majority it holds against President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservatives.

The attack against Lee, which unfolded quickly but was widely captured in footage of the outdoors public event, shocked his party and his rivals alike, who condemned all violence against political figures.

The leader of the conservative People Power Party scaled back scheduled public events, and both parties urged members to refrain from comments that could inflame voters as Lee recuperates.

Lee is currently on trial for alleged bribery stemming from a development project when he was mayor of Seongnam near Seoul. Lee has denied any wrongdoing, calling the allegations “fiction” and a “political conspiracy”.