Man who stabbed South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung sentenced to 15 years in prison

A South Korean court has sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for stabbing opposition Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung in the neck earlier this year. The attack happened in January at an event in Busan, where the assailant approached Lee to ask for an autograph before attacking him with a knife.

The Busan District Court found the man guilty of attempted murder and violating the election law, and sentenced him to 15 years in prison. The defendant and the prosecutor have one week to appeal the decision.

During questioning, the man told police that his intention was to kill Lee to prevent him from becoming president of the country.

The attack came just before crucial parliamentary elections in April, which resulted in a significant victory for Lee's Democratic Party and other opposition parties against President Yoon Suk Yeol's ruling conservative party.

According to Yonhap news agency, the court's verdict described the attack as “a serious challenge” to the country's electoral systems and an act that “significantly destroys social consensus and trust in core liberal democratic principles.”

The verdict also said the attacker had long harbored animosity toward Lee over political differences, had practiced stabbing him in the neck beforehand and had attended five public events where Lee was present.

The court did not reveal the identity of the attacker, referring to him only by his last name, Kim. Although the man is currently a member of the Democratic Party, which he joined last year, reports suggest he was previously affiliated with the predecessor People Power Party.

Lee, known for his sharp remarks and his former role as a provincial governor, narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election to Yoon, a former prosecutor general. Their close race and the political wrangling that followed have further intensified South Korea’s already toxic divide between conservatives and liberals.

(With contributions from the agency)