SEOUL (AFP) – South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who was stabbed in the neck by a man pretending to be a supporter, called for an "end to warlike politics" as he was discharged from hospital on Wednesday.
Lee, chair of the Democratic Party, was surrounded by journalists in the southern port city of Busan on January 2 when a man pushed through the crowd and lunged at him, stabbing him on the left side of his neck with a knife.
He suffered a wound to his jugular vein and was first taken to a hospital in Busan, then flown to the capital Seoul where he underwent a nearly two-hour surgery.
Eight days after the incident, 60-year-old Lee was discharged from the Seoul National University Hospital, and told reporters that the attack should serve as an impetus to overhaul South Korea's notoriously confrontational politics.
"I sincerely hope this incident could serve as a milestone to end the politics of hatred and restore a politics of respect and coexistence", he said, his first public comments since the incident.
"I myself too will reflect on my deeds and strive hard to create politics of hope."
The suspect is a 66-year-old real estate agent identified by the surname Kim who had struggled financially and had been unable to pay rent for his office for seven months, according to Yonhap news agency.
Busan police investigating the case are expected to announce the outcome of their probe later Wednesday.
Several high-profile South Korean politicians have been attacked in public in past years.
An elderly man hit Song Young-gil, who led the Democratic Party before Lee, in the head with a blunt object in 2022.
In 2006, Park Geun-hye, then leader of the conservative party who later became president, was assaulted with a knife at a rally. The attack left a scar on her face.
South Korean politics is notoriously adversarial, with many former presidents being prosecuted and jailed for corruption after leaving power – and later pardoned.
Lee lost in 2022 to conservative Yoon Suk Yeol in the tightest presidential race in South Korea's history.
Lee is widely expected to run for president again in 2027, and recent polls have indicated that he remains a strong contender.
But his bid for the top office has been overshadowed by a string of scandals, and he faces trial on charges of bribery in connection with a firm that is suspected of illicitly transferring $8 million to North Korea.