South Korean opposition leader recovering from assassination
2 Min Read
In the first briefing by the Seoul Hospital where the South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is being treated after an attempted assassination, doctors say the leader was transferred to the general ward from the ICU.
-
South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party leader, Lee Jae-myung, arrives to attend a hearing on his arrest warrant on corruption charges at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, September 26, 2023. (AP)
Lee Jae-myung, the South Korean opposition party leader, is reportedly "recovering" despite the continued need for monitoring, according to a Seoul National University Hospital doctor who briefed journalists on Thursday.
Yesterday, Lee was transferred from the intensive care unit to the general ward after he underwent surgery following an attempted assassination attack in which he was stabbed in the neck.
The doctor who conducted the two-hour surgery for Lee said that the leader suffered a "1.4 centimeter pierced wound that cut through his muscle" and that the knife in his neck "cut about 60% of the internal jugular vein."
Fortunately, the doctor said, "There were no signs of damage for artery, cerebral nerve, throat or airway," despite the amelioration in his situation, it is important to note that "bouts of bleeding were found" in his neck.
This also marks the first briefing by the Seoul hospital since the attack. In turn, the Democratic Party, which Lee represents, has said that the leader's survival was due to "pure fortune" given that the attack pierced his vein and missed Lee's artery.
As for the 66-year-old assailant, Kim, an arrest warrant, which was filed by the prosecution, will be reviewed on Thursday by the Busan court.
According to Yonhap, Kim is being charged with attempted murder, and the warrant would allow the police to continue to hold the suspect who was arrested at the scene.
It is significant to stress that Yonhap also revealed that Kim had been facing financial challenges, as he reportedly failed to pay rent for his office for seven months, according to official mail from banks that he had received at his registered address.
