Anchor: Main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung is in intensive care following surgery after he was stabbed in the neck by a man in his 60s while visiting Busan on Tuesday morning. Despite the successful surgery, Lee’s activity is limited, with only family able to visit him.
Tom McCarthy brings us the latest.
 
Report: Main opposition Democratic Party(DP) Chair Lee Jae-myung is recovering at an intensive care unit at Seoul National University Hospital following an operation on a stab wound inflicted in Busan on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, DP spokesperson Park Sung-joon said on a local radio program that Lee underwent surgery to reconstruct blood vessels in his neck area including the jugular vein, with another spokesperson saying the night before that it took two hours, twice as long as expected.

The main opposition leader reportedly regained consciousness, but the hospital limited visits to immediate family members, with Park mentioning that Lee’s wife was his only visitor after the surgery on Tuesday.

Former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum appeared at the hospital on Tuesday night despite acknowledging that he would not be permitted to see the party chief.

The former prime minister said he came to console Lee’s family and galvanize lawmakers and party members, expressing hope for the DP chief’s swift recovery.

Kim called the attack a “frontal assault on democracy” as he denounced the “political terrorism” carried out against Lee.

The main opposition leader was stabbed by a man in his 60s while touring an airport construction site in Busan on Tuesday morning, sustaining a one-and-a-half-centimeter stab wound that inflicted damage to his jugular vein.

The party chief was transported to Pusan National University Hospital about 20 minutes after the incident before being airlifted to Seoul National University Hospital for surgery.
Tom McCarthy, KBS World Radio News.