US ambassador, Lipert, bloodied by blade-wielding activist

A lone blade-wielding activist opposed to ongoing United States-Korean military drills attacked Mark Lippert, the United States ambassador to South Korea, on Thursday.

Witnesses said the assailant, identified as Kim Ki-Jong, concealed a blade in his right hand and lunged across a table at Lippert during a breakfast function at the Sejong Cultural Institute in central Seoul.

Before being wrestled to the ground and taken into police custody, Jong was able to slash the envoy on his face and arm.

Video footage showed Lippert being rushed out of the building holding one hand to his bleeding right cheek, and his other hand smeared with blood with an apparent wound to the wrist.

Prior to the assault, the ambassador was preparing to give a lecture about prospects for peace on the divided Korean Peninsula.

Meanwhile, as Kim was being taken from the police station for treatment on an injured ankle, he told reporters that he planned the attack for 10 days.

In 2010, Kim, who runs a small activist group that pushes for reunification with North Korea, was handed a two-year suspended sentence for throwing a rock at the then Japanese ambassador to Seoul.

Although the US state department said Lippert’s injuries were not life-threatening, it condemned the violent act.

On his part, Lippert expressed appreciation for the solidarity he received.

“Doing well and in great spirits! Robyn, Sejun, Grigsby & I [his wife and children] – deeply moved by the support! Will be back to advance US-ROK alliance,” he tweeted.

The White House said President Barack Obama has called the ambassador “to wish him the very best for a speedy recovery”.

A spokesman for the Korea Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, which hosted the breakfast function, apologised for the lack of security at the event.

“This man suddenly jumped out of the audience seat when the breakfast was about to start at the table,” the spokesman said.

“Other people tried to stop him but the situation unfolded too quickly.”

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye also condemned the “intolerable” assault, saying it was tantamount to an attack on the South Korea-US military alliance.

Park, who is currently on a tour of Gulf states, vowed a “thorough investigation,” while the foreign ministry said it would beef up security for foreign envoys.