The Health of the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Improves After Attack

Mark Lippert, the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, underwent surgery after being attacked with a knife on Thursday, March 5, in Seoul, and reports indicate that his condition is improving. Mark Lippert was attacked by a man armed with a knife in the morning and sustained injuries to his face and hand. North Korean media praised the attack. According to AFP, the U.S. condemned the attack, describing it as a 'violent' act. Lippert was transferred to a hospital after the attack, and doctors described his condition as stable following a two-and-a-half-hour surgery and 80 stitches to repair a deep wound on his right cheek. Eyewitnesses reported that a man threw a 25-centimeter knife at Mr. Lippert while he was attending a breakfast event in central Seoul. The assailant, identified as Kim Ki-jong, a 55-year-old man dressed in traditional Korean clothing, was immediately arrested by police. Kim Ki-jong was shouting in support of the unification of the Korean Peninsula and against the joint military exercises of the U.S. and South Korea during the attack. Meanwhile, the official North Korean news agency (KCNA) described the attack in a brief report as 'just punishment' and 'an expression of resistance,' stating that the act reflects the opposition of the South Korean people to the joint military exercises held despite strong opposition from North Korea. Kim Ki-jong is a lone activist who had previously been sentenced to two years of probation for throwing stones at the then-Japanese ambassador in Seoul. In a video of the attack, Mr. Lippert is seen bloodied and holding a cloth to stop the bleeding from his face while being transferred from the breakfast event to a police car. One of the surgeons at the Seoul hospital stated that if the cut had been slightly lower, it could have hit the 'main artery' and been dangerous. Mr. Lippert is expected to remain in the hospital for three to four more days. Mark Lippert tweeted from the hospital that he is in 'very good and strong spirits' and added that he and his family are touched by the messages of sympathy and support. He stated, 'He will soon resume his work to advance the U.S.-South Korea alliance.' The U.S. State Department condemned this 'violent act,' and President Barack Obama, as well as Secretary of State John Kerry, wished him a speedy recovery during a phone call. AFP further reports that Mark Lippert has been close to Mr. Obama since his Senate days until his election to the presidency. After the 2008 presidential election, he held senior positions in national security and defense and was appointed as the U.S. ambassador to Seoul last October. South Korean President Park Geun-hye condemned the 'unacceptable' attack, describing it as an assault on the military alliance between South Korea and the U.S. In a phone call from the United Arab Emirates, she stated that she is working closely with the U.S. to ensure that this attack does not negatively impact bilateral relations. The spokesperson for the 'Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation of Korea,' which hosted the breakfast event, apologized for the weak security measures at the event. He said, 'The man suddenly stood up just before the breakfast reception began. Others tried to stop him, but the situation got out of control.' Kim Ki-jong is responsible for a small group of activists advocating for the unification of the two Koreas and is one of the organizers of protests against Japan's territorial claims over small islands controlled by South Korea. An official from the South Korean Ministry of Unification told AFP that Kim Ki-jong had traveled to North Korea several times in 2006 and 2007.