South Korean opposition leader stabbed during Busan visit

Leader of the opposition party in South Korea, Lee Jae-myung, was stabbed in the neck on Tuesday by an unidentified man who pushed through a crowd posing as one of his supporters, according to reports from the country's media.

At a proposed airport site in the southern port city of Busan, Lee was surrounded by reporters and fans when a man lunged and struck him in the neck, as seen on South Korean television channels.

He was taken to Pusan University Hospital while conscious and bleeding, according to the Yonhap news agency. After that, Lee was taken to the capital, where he was supposed to have surgery at Seoul National University Hospital, according to officials.

The attacker, who had on a cap with a pro-Lee message, was observed being wrestled to the ground by police and was taken into custody at the site, Yonhap reported.

Lee was "walking to his car while talking to reporters when the attacker asked for his autograph", a witness told local broadcaster YTN, adding that Lee was then struck with what "looked like a knife".

Police in Busan said Lee suffered a "one-centimetre laceration on his neck" and that he "remains conscious and bleeding is minor", AFP reported citing reports from South Korean news outlet Chosun Ilbo.

The attacker has not stated his motive, according to police officials cited by Yonhap.

Lee lost in 2022 to conservative Yoon Suk Yeol in the tightest presidential race in South Korea's history.

Yoon expressed "deep concern over the safety of Lee Jae-myung upon hearing of the attack", his spokeswoman Kim Soo-kyung said. "Yoon emphasised our society should never tolerate this kind of act of violence under any circumstances."

Lee, a former child factory worker and teenage school dropout, gained political fame through his rags-to-riches story. He is expected to run for president again in 2027, but his bid has been overshadowed by scandals.

He avoided arrest in September when a court dismissed a request from the prosecution for him to be taken into custody pending trial on various corruption charges.

Lee faces trial on charges of bribery and breach of duties for transferring $8 million to North Korea and causing a loss of 20 billion won for a Seongnam city-owned company. However, he has denied all allegations against him.

Additional input from AFP