A photo shows opposition leader Lee lying on the ground with his eyes closed and bystanders pressing a handkerchief against the side of his neck. The attack took place while he was walking and talking to the press after a visit to an airport under construction. There are also images of this. Lee is stabbed out of nowhere by someone who has apparently been walking in front of him.
According to Yonhap, Lee was conscious when he was taken to hospital, but was still bleeding. President Yoon Suk-yeol condemned the attack.
Lee’s party and President Yoon’s conservative party are the two main parties in South Korea. In 2022, Lee Jea-myung narrowly lost the presidential election to conservative candidate Yoon Suk-yeol.