by REERA YOO | @reeraboo
editor@charactermedia.com
U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert was slashed in the face by an assailant wielding a 10-inch blade at a public forum in Seoul, South Korean police said Thursday.
Reuters reported that the assailant, a 55-year-old man dressed in a traditional brown hanbok, screamed, “South and North Korea should be reunified” before attacking Lippert, who was immediately taken to the hospital for treatment. South Korean media photos show Lippert covering a large cut on the right side of his face, his hand covered in blood.
The assailant, identified as Kim Ki-jong, was immediately detained and questioned by the police. According to BBC, the attack occurred at about 7:40 a.m. KST as Lippert was entering a lecture hall in central Seoul. The U.S. State Department said the envoy’s injuries were not life threatening and strongly condemned the violent attack.
Lippert, 42, previously served as the U.S. Assistant Secretary Defense for Asian affairs before being appointed as the ambassador to South Korea in 2014. His wife gave birth to a son, and the couple gave him a Korean middle name, according to the Associated Press.
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Featured image via YTN
