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| Kim Ki-jong, the suspect in a knife attack Thursday on U.S. Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert, is taken to a police car on his way to Seoul Central District Court for a hearing on the prosecution's request for an arrest warrant for him, Friday. / Yonhap |
By Jun Ji-hye
The government slammed North Korea on Friday for standing by an assailant who attacked U.S. Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert with a 25-centimeter knife, leaving him with serious injuries to his face and hand.
"The government strongly criticizes North Korea for distorting the true nature of this incident and supporting it," Unification Ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol said at a press briefing.
Lim pointed out that the reclusive state's support for the shocking knife attack demonstrates the insincerity of its claim that it is against terrorism.
On Thursday, the North said through its official news agency, the Korea Central News Agency (KCNA), that Lippert deserved "such an attack."
The remarks were made hours after the ambassador was slashed on his face and arm with a knife wielded by Kim Ki-jong, 55, an anti-U.S. activist, during a breakfast forum in Seoul.
The KCNA said, "The attack reflects the mindset of South Korean people against extremely dangerous joint military drills amid growing anti-American sentiment there."
The ministry urged the repressive state to stop "irrational propaganda" activities and think about what it has to do for the development of inter-Korean ties and peace on the peninsula.
According to police, the assailant shouted his opposition to the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle joint military exercises under way between South Korea and the U.S. while he was being hauled away after the incident.
His comments were in line with Pyongyang's rhetoric, as it has objected to the annual drills year after year, labeling the exercises as aggressive war practice.
The allies' annual drills, which will continue until March 13 and April 24, respectively, are designed to deter threats from North Korea.
Leading a progressive civic group, the suspect is known to have engaged in anti-war and pro-unification campaigns for a long time. According to the Unification Ministry, he traveled to North Korea seven times ― six to Gaeseong between 2006 and 2007 and once to Mount Geumgang, a scenic mountain resort, in 1999.
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