U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert was injured in an attack by an armed assailant Thursday morning.
Bleeding from his head and wrist heavily, Lippert was rushed to a nearby hospital. The suspect, identified as Kim Ki-Jong, 55, was immediately arrested.
The incident occurred just as when U.S. envoy was preparing to give a lecture at a session organized by a domestic civic group in central Seoul.
Police said Kim, a member of the civic group, slit Lippert's face and left wrist with a 25 centimeter-long razor blade.
The suspected attacker yelled that 'the Korean peninsula should be reunified,' according to the police.
In July 2010, Kim received a suspended two-year jail sentence for throwing a stone at the then Japanese ambassador to Seoul.
Lippert, 42, took the post in Seoul late last year. He is known as a longtime key adviser to President Barack Obama, who phoned Lippert to wish him a speedy recovery.
[저작권자(c) YTN 무단전재, 재배포 및 AI 데이터 활용 금지]