Man gets 15 years in prison after stabbing South Korean opposition leader

The knife attacker who stabbed Korean opposition leader and Democratic Party Chair Lee Jae-myung in the neck in January while posing as a supporter in Busan was given 15 years in prison Friday.

An alleged accomplice in the stabbing attack received 1 1/2 years in prison.

The Busan District Court said Friday, “The crime was not just an attempt to strip Lee of his right to life, but an act that gravely undermines social consensus and trust in the basic order of free democracy by interfering with the freedom of election.”

In a note found by investigating police, attacker Kim Jin-seong had said his motive was to stop Lee from becoming president.

The attacker believed “pro-North Korean forces” were delaying trials against Lee.

After Lee lost the 2022 election corruption charges were brought against him, alleging that as mayor of Seongnam, he made sure a small private asset company was awarded construction contracts resulting in $329 million worth of profits rather than accepting a lower bid.

Lee called the charges a political attack and said a “dictatorial regime” was ignoring rule of law.

According to police, Kim had planned the attack for months and had stalked Lee at other rallies before stabbing him.

Kim, pretending to be one of Lee’s supporters, approached for an autograph Jan. 2, and then stabbed him near the jugular vein. Despite heavy bleeding Lee survived after being treated at the scene and rushed to a hospital.

He left the hospital after eight days.

It was the first major attack on a South Korean political leader since the 2006 box-cutter face slashing of then-opposition leader Park Geun-hye.

The attack on Lee raised concerns about increasing political polarization, as well as surge in extreme online postings.

Days after Lee was stabbed conservative National Assembly member Bae Hyunjin was struck in the head with a blunt object but her injuries were not life-threatening.