- South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who was recently stabbed in an attack, accused President Yun Seok-yeoul of fomenting division in society.
- Mr. Lee criticized Mr. Yoon for encouraging polarization instead of promoting national unity, and described his leadership as a “dictatorship of the prosecutor’s office.”
- South Korean politics is deeply divided, and the upcoming election is seen as a referendum on Yoon’s leadership.
South Korea’s opposition leader, who underwent surgery after being stabbed in an attack earlier this month, accused the country’s conservative president on Wednesday of promoting divisive politics and exacerbating an already toxic debate in the country.
Lee also called on voters to support the liberal Democratic Party in April’s parliamentary elections to curb what he described as President Yoon Seok-yeol’s “dictatorship of prosecutors.”
Yun “has made our society even more polarized,” Lee said at his first press conference since the Jan. 2 attack. Instead of “taking the lead in promoting national unity,” Yun is “obsessed with choosing sides and waging outdated ideological wars.”
South Korean opposition leader stabbed in neck during visit to Busan
Lee was attacked during an event in the southeastern city of Busan. Police said the suspect, who appeared to be acting alone, approached him for an autograph and stabbed him in the neck, causing him to slump to the floor bleeding.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea’s main opposition party, the Democratic Party, speaks at the 2024 New Year’s press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on January 31, 2024. Zaimei accused the country’s conservative president of promoting divisive politics and exacerbating the already existing situation. Harmful domestic discourse.
Lee underwent surgery and was hospitalized for eight days before being released. The arrested suspect later told investigators that he wanted to kill Lee to prevent him from becoming president.
Mr Lee, who narrowly lost to Mr Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, told a news conference that his rival’s allegedly reckless policies had caused a declining labor market and tensions with nuclear-armed North Korea to spiral out of control. He also claimed.
Lee is seen as one of the early frontrunners for the 2027 presidential election, but he has been struggling with a lengthy prosecutorial investigation into corruption allegations that stemmed from his time as mayor of Seongnam, where he served for 10 years until 2018. Mr. Lee denies it. He accused legal misconduct and accused Mr. Yun, the prosecutor-turned-president, of pursuing political vendettas.
In remarks on Wednesday, Lee called the attack on him in broad daylight an “assassination attempt” and an event that was “unthinkable in South Korea, which previously has a reputation as the safest country in the world.” Ta.
In another attack last week, Bae Hyun-jin, a lawmaker from Yoon’s People’s Strength Party, was repeatedly hit in the head by a 14-year-old rock-wielding boy and was treated for lacerations.
South Korean politics is deeply divided along ideological, generational and regional loyalties, with political tensions intensifying ahead of April’s vote. The election is widely seen as a referendum on Mr. Yoon, who already suffers from low approval ratings and limited ability to implement his policies in an opposition-controlled parliament.
Since taking office, Mr. Yoon has reversed the dovish approach of his liberal predecessor, Moon Jae-in, who had sought closer ties between the two Koreas, and instead sought to engage South Korea in the United States, Japan, and other countries to deal with North Korea’s military actions. moved to expand joint military exercises with the United States. Evolving threat.
Yun also called for stronger assurances from Washington that the United States would take swift and decisive action to protect its allies in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack.
On Wednesday, Mr. Lee also consistently criticized Mr. Yoon, saying that his hard-line approach is contributing to the escalation of tensions between the two Koreas. He called for renewed efforts by South Korea to resume communication with North Korea. Most urgent is to restore the military hotline between the two countries, which had been severed to prevent accidental cross-border clashes.
South Korean police search house of suspect who stabbed opposition leader Lee Jae-myung
Mr. Lee also condemned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s recent declaration that abandoned North Korea’s long-standing goal of reconciliation with South Korea and constitutionally designated South Korea as the North’s most hostile external enemy. .
Mr Lee said Mr Kim’s threats had brought South Korea dangerously close to a possible military conflict, adding that preventing escalation was the priority now.
Yun warned at a government meeting on Wednesday that North Korea could launch various provocations ahead of April’s elections in an attempt to influence the results.
Experts say North Korea likely wants the opposition to maintain a majority in South Korea’s National Assembly, which would improve its prospects in the presidential election. They say North Korea’s argument is that a liberal government in Seoul would be more willing to make concessions to North Korea.
