Police say shirt collar saved DP chief Lee Jae-myung's life

The assailant, surnamed Kim, center, speaks to reporters at Yeonje Police Station in Busan on Wednesday morning as he is escorted by police to be transferred to the prosecution for charges of attempted murder after stabbing Democratic Party Chairman Lee Jae-myung last week. [NEWS1]

Democratic Party (DP) chief Lee Jae-myung's life may have been saved by his stiff shirt collar after an assailant stabbed him in the neck last week, police said Wednesday.

The 67-year-old suspect surnamed Kim claimed he was motivated to attack Lee based on his political beliefs, aiming to prevent him from becoming president, the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said on its latest findings on the case.

Police referred Kim's case to the prosecution earlier Wednesday for further investigation on charges of attempted murder.

On Jan. 2, Lee was stabbed in his left neck with a knife by Kim, who had posed as a supporter seeking his autograph, during a visit to Busan. Kim was arrested on the scene.

Lee suffered a 1.4-centimeter (0.55-inch) wound to the neck and was airlifted to Seoul and underwent surgery for a laceration in a vein in his neck at Seoul National University Hospital. He was released from the hospital on Wednesday.

Police said that if the knife had not initially stabbed Lee's shirt collar, the consequences could have been fatal.

Kim's "subjective political beliefs led to his extreme crime," and his psychopathy test results were normal, police said.

Kim testified to police that he attacked the DP chief because he believed that it would be undesirable if Lee exercised the right to nominate candidates and became the president.

Lee, the DP chairman and a lawmaker of Incheon's Gyeyang District, was defeated by a razor-thin margin by the People Power Party's President Yoon Suk Yeol in the 2022 presidential election and is expected to run again.

Police found a draft of an eight-page statement Kim wrote in April 2023 outlining his plans, which has been revised several times. Kim had printed eight copies of his final draft and asked an acquaintance in his 70s to deliver seven copies in separate envelopes, including to the media, if his crime was successful and two if it wasn't. Five of the copies were said to have been destroyed.

This acquaintance was initially booked without detention on charges of aiding and abetting in attempted murder.

Kim wrote in the statement that he was dismayed at how Lee's trials were being delayed "due to pro-North forces within the judiciary," making it impossible to convict him.

He wrote that if Lee exercises the right to nominate candidates in the upcoming general elections in April and becomes elected as president, the National Assembly and the country "will fall to left-wing forces."

Police concluded Kim acted alone without an accomplice after examining his mobile phone history and financial transactions.

The findings were based on a comprehensive analysis of the interrogation and psychological assessments of Kim and digital forensic evidence.

Kim was said to have purchased an 18-centimeter knife online for 100,000 won ($75) in April 2023 and sharpened the 13-centimeter blade.

Police said on the day of the crime, Kim was concealing the knife underneath a placard he was holding.

Kim was said to have trailed Lee's tours six times since June 2023, tracking his schedule through the party's website.

Kim had been armed during these encounters, and police believe he had also been attempting an attack on Jan. 1 during Lee's visit to Bongha Village in South Gyeongsang, but was thwarted.

He was found to have been careful to avoid being tracked, taking the KTX train to Busan Station that day, removing the SIM and SD cards from his smartphone and using cash for any transportation transactions.

According to Seoul National University Hospital's medical records, the knife penetrated Lee's neck by 2 centimeters, resulting in a 1.4-centimeter wound on the skin and damaging the internal jugular vein by 9 millimeters.

The police released a photo of the shirt Lee had been wearing during the attack, stating that the weapon first penetrated the collar. The outer part of the shirt was torn by 1.5 centimeters.

"I am very sorry," Kim said in front of reporters Wednesday morning as he was escorted by the police to Busan District Prosecutors' Office, apologizing to the public for the concern he caused.

Police earlier decided not to disclose his political party affiliation, citing the Political Parties Act. It also decided not to reveal his identity, claiming that his case did not meet the legal conditions for disclosure.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]