Lee Jae-myung: South Korean opposition leader ‘stabbed in neck’ during Busan visit

South Korea’s opposition leader Lee Jae-myung has been stabbed in the neck during a visit to Busan, according to local media.

He was attacked as he toured a construction site of a new airport, said the city’s emergency office.

It said Lee – who heads the main opposition Democratic Party – was conscious but that his exact condition is unknown.

A party official said he’d been taken to a local university hospital.

An unidentified man had approached the politician for an autograph before lunging in with a knife-like weapon, reported South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

The man, who appeared to be in his 50s or 60s, was quickly restrained and arrested, said Yonhap.

YTN television showed Lee grimacing and collapsing to the ground, with other images showing people pressing a handkerchief to the side of his neck.

It said he’d been left with a gash of about 1cm.

Lee lost the 2022 presidential election to Yoon Suk Yeol by a narrow margin.

He is currently on trial for alleged bribery – which he denies – relating to a development project when he was mayor of Seongnam near Seoul.

The president condemned the attack and expressed deep concern for his opponent’s condition, said a spokesperson for his office.

South Korea has strict gun laws, but there’s a history of political violence using other weapons.

Lee’s predecessor, Song Young-gil, suffered a head wound when he was attacked with a blunt object at a public event in 2022.