Kang Seung-woo is the Business Desk editor at The Korea Times. Prior to this position, he covered politics, national affairs, finance and sports.
Political parties slam attack on US envoy
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Ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung, right, listens as the party’s floor leader, Yoo Seong-min, comments on the assault on U.S. Ambassador to Korea, Mark Lippert, during the party’s Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. / Yonhap
By Kang Seung-woo
By Kang Seung-woo
The ruling and opposition parties denounced Thursday’s attack on U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert.
Lippert, 42, who took over as ambassador in October, was slashed on the face and wrist by a pro-North Korea activist wielding a 25-centimeter (10-inch) knife.
At that time, Lippert was preparing to give a speech about peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula, and the future of South Korea-U.S. relations.
“How can such violence happen in Korean society?“ asked Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung during a party meeting at the National Assembly.
“A terrorist attack on the U.S. ambassador to Korea is equivalent to one on the Republic of Korea-U.S. alliance.“
He called for the authorities to thoroughly investigate the incident and strictly punish the attacker and any others responsible.
Floor leader Yoo Seong-min, who described the attack as an “appalling terrorist attack,” expressed concern that it may hurt relations between Seoul and Washington.
“The government should respond completely to the incident in order to prevent any crack in the bilateral relations from taking place,“ Yoo said.
The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) also condemned the assault on the ambassador.
“Political violence cannot be condoned,“ said NPAD Chairman Moon Jae-in in a meeting with South Chungcheong Province Governor Ahn Hee-jung in Sejong City.
“It is not right in itself and always worsens problems. This type of hatred is really undesirable.”
Moon added that the attack was utterly deplorable, given that Ambassador Lippert has a strong affection for Korea, as evidenced by the fact that he and his wife gave their recently born son a Korean middle name.
NPAD floor leader Woo Yoon-keun also said that the attack that took place in the center of Seoul should never have happened.
“The government should swiftly and precisely deal with the incident so it does not affect the Korea-U.S. alliance,” he said during an NPAD meeting.
Saenuri Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won, who heads the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, expressed deep regret over the attack.
“A terrorist attack that should not have taken place happened to an envoy of a country,“ she said.
Na said the committee will consider officially conveying a message of consolation to Lippert or the U.S. government, or having relevant government offices report on the case depending on the outcome of the upcoming investigation.
“We’ll decide on our additional response after the outcome of the probe,“ she said.