'15 year-old' assailant strikes lawmaker 17 times within 18 seconds

The assailant striking 41-year-old People Power Party lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin on the first floor of a building in Sinsa-dong, Seoul, captured in this video still taken on Thursday. [NEWS1]

People Power Party lawmaker, Bae Hyun-jin, assaulted on Thursday by an assailant claiming to be 15 years old, was repeatedly struck 17 times in 18 seconds.

Video footage released by Bae’s office shows that the assault continued even when the 41-year-old lawmaker fell to the ground.

The attack took place at 5:18 p.m. as Bae headed toward an elevator in a building in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam.

She had an appointment with a hairdresser at a salon called Masill, located on the second floor of the building.

The assailant reportedly approached Bae and twice asked if she was indeed the lawmaker. In response, Bae greeted the individual.

Surveillance footage shows Bae turning around and smiling just as the assailant strikes the back of her head with a rock.

The brutal attack was halted when employees from a restaurant on the first floor rushed to the scene upon hearing her cries for help.

Additional footage outside of the building shows the assailant, wearing a mask and a beanie, roaming around the area for approximately 30 minutes before Bae's arrival.

The assailant's parents were present during police questioning, as the individual is still underage.

The police, however, forced the assailant to be checked into a mental health institution early Friday morning.

This measure is implemented when there's a concern that a suspect may be dealing with a mental health issue, potentially posing a threat not only to themselves but also to others.

Under existing regulations, individuals suspected of having such mental health issues can be held in a mental health institution for three days.

The assailant has been reported as a student from a middle school in the nearby Daechi-dong within the same district.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]