Gwangju General Election Preliminary Candidates Unite: "Attack on Lee Jae-myung is Terrorism Against Democracy"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, was attacked by a man while carrying out his schedule visiting Gadeokdo, Busan, prompting pre-candidates for the National Assembly election in the Gwangju area to unanimously call it a "serious terror against democracy."

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung was attacked and fell to the ground while visiting the site of the new Busan-Gadeokdo airport on the 2nd.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Kim Seong-jin, pre-candidate for the Democratic Party of Korea in Gwangsan-gu (Eul), Gwangju, stated in a press release on the 2nd, "The attack on Party Leader Lee Jae-myung that occurred today in Busan is a serious terror against democracy and shows the precarious state of democracy in the Republic of Korea," adding, "Violence can never be justified under any circumstances and must never happen; it is a disaster that requires swift and strong measures."

Choi Chi-hyun, pre-candidate for Gwangsan-gu (Eul), also posted on his SNS, "A horrific incident happened at the very beginning of the new year. This is terrorism. It must never happen," urging, "I hope that the person who committed this terrible act and those behind it will be thoroughly investigated and revealed."

An Do-geol, pre-candidate for Dong-gu Nam-gu (Eul), issued a statement saying, "Violence or terrorism can never be justified for any cause or reason," and emphasized, "Judicial authorities must promptly clarify the circumstances of the attack on Leader Lee and thoroughly investigate the entire incident, including those behind it."

Kim Seong-hwan, pre-candidate for Dong-gu Nam-gu (Eul), said, "Although the full details of the incident are not yet clear and it is premature to make assumptions, there is no way to dismiss the suspicion that this is a horrific result of the hate politics of far-right forces opposing Leader Lee Jae-myung," stressing, "The police must uncover the truth of the incident in detail and leave no room for suspicion."

Meanwhile, on the same day, Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung was attacked on the left side of his neck by an unidentified man while answering questions from reporters after inspecting the site of the new airport in Gadeokdo, Busan, in the morning.

He sustained a wound about 1 cm long with bleeding, but it is known that he remained conscious both at the scene and during transport to the hospital.