Lee Jae-myung suffered a wound to his jugular vein and underwent emergency surgery after the attack in January.
A man who stabbed South Korea’s then-opposition leader Lee Jae-myung in the neck has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. The attack occurred before the April 10 parliamentary elections and the assailant was charged with attempted murder and election law violations. The prosecutors had initially sought a 20-year prison term for the attacker.
The attacker, who wanted to prevent Lee from becoming president, was described by the Busan District Court as a grave threat to the country’s election systems. The court revealed that the attacker had harbored political differences with Lee, had practiced his violent act in advance, and had followed him to multiple public events.
Lee, who has since recovered from the wound to his jugular vein, resigned as party leader and is anticipated to run for the leadership of the Democratic Party again. This incident adds to a series of attacks on high-profile South Korean politicians, highlighting the need for increased security measures in public forums.