Mark Lippert (42), the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, was attacked on Wednesday at a breakfast forum in Sejong Hall in Seoul, according to Korean media.
Kyeonggi Ilbo reports that Lippert was attacked at 7:40 A.M. local time by an assailant who was sitting at a table behind him and suddenly pushed Lippert to the ground and attacked him. The assailant used a razor and Lippert was shown on Korean media footage as bleeding on his face and his wrist. Officials say that his injuries are not life-threatening and that he is currently receiving treatment at a hospital.
YTN TV reports that the man who attacked Lippert yelled, "South and North Korea should be reunified," and "I oppose joint drills," while attacking Lippert. A suspect identified only as "Kim" is confirmed to have been detained and is being questioned.
Man surnamed Kim(56) yelled "I oppose to joint drills" and "South and NKorea must unify" before attacking Lippert pic.twitter.com/ZBF3ZohXbU
"” Jihye Lee ??? (@JihyeLee91) March 4, 2015
Lippert took office as the U.S. ambassador to South Korea in 2014, and reports say that he has had a "popular" response during his time in the position.
