dpa
Seoul
South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck during a public appearance on Tuesday, but his injuries are not life-threatening, South Korean broadcasters reported.
The 59-year-old Lee fell to the ground with a bleeding wound to his neck, according to television reports. After receiving first aid at the scene of the attack in Busan, he was initially taken to a hospital in the south-eastern coastal city.
Lee was later flown by helicopter to a hospital in the capital, Seoul, where he underwent surgery. The injury to a vein was not life-threatening, the public TV station KBS reported, citing doctors.
The attacker was arrested and is being investigated for attempted murder, according to the police. The national news agency Yonhap reported that the police had seized an 18-centimetres-long knife at the scene of the attack.
Television footage showed how the suspected attacker was overpowered by several people immediately after the stabbing. The incident occurred when Lee was answering questions from journalists after visiting a construction site for a new airport on the south-eastern island of Gadeok.
The motive for the offence was initially unclear. According to the police, the suspect was born in 1957. He reportedly claimed to be a Lee supporter and wore a paper crown with the inscription "I am Lee Jae Myung.” He is said to have approached the politician asking for his autograph when he suddenly launched his attack.
The spokesman for the Democratic Party (DP), of which Lee is chairman, spoke of an act of terrorism. The incident took place three months before the parliamentary elections in South Korea.