Assailant of DP chief practiced stabbing, attempted attack five times

Busan District Prosecutors' Office Deputy Prosecutor Park Sang-jin brief reporters on the investigation of the 67 year-old assailant, who attacked DP chief Lee Jae-myung earlier this month, on Monday. [YONHAP[

The Busan District Prosecutors’ Office announced on Monday that the 67-year-old assailant who attacked Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung earlier this month is being indicted on charges of attempted murder and violation of fair election practices.

According to the prosecutor’s office, the assailant, identified only as Kim, not only practiced stabbing the politician but also making five attempts in total.

“The defendant had been preparing meticulously for a very long time,” stated Deputy Prosecutor Park Sang-jin.

The deputy prosecutor said that the assailant told investigators his intention was to prevent the DP chief from nominating candidates for the upcoming parliamentary election, security a majority in the National Assembly and eventually becoming the next president.

“He believed that the only solution was to kill [Lee] as the criminal cases [against Lee] were being delayed in court,” Park said.

The prosecutor said that Kim, after purchasing the knife in April last year, practiced on a tree next to his real estate agency in Asan, South Chungcheong.

“He had sharpened both edges of the 18-centimeter-long camping knife, with a 13-centimeter blade,” Park said. “He then marked the tree at eye level and practiced stabbing several times.”

The prosecutor’s office also found evidence of Kim tracking Lee’s schedule, which was uploaded on the DP’s website.

Kim attended four open forums held in Seoul and Busan between June and December last year, attempting to approach Lee but facing security obstacles.

He also tried approaching the DP leader when Lee visited Bongha Village in South Gyeongsang on Jan. 1, showing respect to late President Roh Moo-hyun.

“Kim was planning to return home to Asan after failing at Bongha Village,” Park said. “However, he left for Busan after concluding that he could no longer wait, given the the general election was drawing near.”

Kim stabbed DP chief Lee on Jan. 2 while he was visiting Gadeok Island, where the new international airport was planned. Lee, suffering a 1.4-centimeter wound, was initially taken to a hospital in Busan before being airlifted to Seoul for surgery.

“The act of directly stabbing DP chief Lee in the neck with a weapon constitutes an assault,” Park said. “It is a political terror that not only constrains political activities, but also undermines democracy and encourages copycat crimes.”

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