Yoon, rival parties condemn attack against lawmaker

Rep. Yun Jae-ok, second from left, the floor leader of the ruling People Power Party, speaks in a party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Jan. 26. Yonhap

The rival parties on Friday condemned the attack against Rep. Bae Hyun-jin of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), calling for soul-searching about deepening hatred in Korean politics.

Bae, a TV anchor-turned-lawmaker, was attacked in the head by a rock-wielding teenager in Seoul's southern district of Gangnam on Thursday afternoon and has been transferred to a hospital with a wound that is not life-threatening.

The attack came less than a month after Rep. Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), was stabbed in the neck during a visit to the southeastern city of Busan by an assailant who later said he tried to prevent Lee from becoming president.

Yoon denounced the attack as an act of terrorism and wished Bae a speedy recovery.

"An act of terrorism against a politician, who represents the people, is no different from terrorism against the people," Yoon was quoted as saying by Han O-sub, the senior presidential secretary for political affairs.

Bae briefly served as a spokesperson for Yoon when he was president-elect in 2022.

The PPP also condemned the attack and called for soul-searching about deepening hatred in politics.

"We cannot ask over and over, what must have caused a young teenager to inflict violence against a lawmaker?" said Rep. Yun Jae-ok, floor leader of the PPP, in a party meeting.

"Unless our politics cease to propagate hatred towards opponents and stop spreading such animosity to the public with inappropriate language, similar incidents are likely to reoccur," he said.

Yun said the party plans to hold a meeting with the chief of the National Police Agency next week to discuss measures to ensure the safety of lawmakers and other politicians ahead of April's general elections amid concerns of copycat crimes.

The DPK also defined the attack as a "political terror" and called for thorough preventive measures.

"It is evident that this is a political terror," said Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo, the DPK's floor leader, at a party leadership meeting. "The DPK is against any acts of terror that threaten democracy. We will also expand solidarity with people who oppose hate." (Yonhap)