Seoul (AsiaNews) - South Korean police want to indict Kim Gi-jong on charges with attempted murder, violence against a foreign envoy and business obstruction and violations of the national security laws. Yesterday the man slashed Mark Lippert, the US ambassador to Seoul, to demand the unification of the peninsula. Hospitalized after the attack, the US diplomat received 80 stitches in his face. His condition is stable and he will be discharged early next week.
According to the judicial authorities, Kim was quoted immediately after his
arrest claiming that he did not want to kill the ambassador, "but only
protest the joint military exercises between South Korea and the United
States", which
are currently underway. The "war games" are held each year,
and according to North Korea are "a threat to unity and a provocation that
demands a response."
Police officer Yoon Myeong-seong, said that the authorities " are also
investigating the visits made by Kim in North Korea between 2006 and
2007", a period in which the man crossed the border 6 times. If they were
to reveal links between these visits and the attack, Kim could be sentenced to
death.
The attack has sparked a wave of controversy even about the safety of
diplomatic guests in Seoul. Under international law, in fact, the safety of
foreign representatives falls to the host country: the ease with which Kim succeeded
in carrying out the attack yesterday has led some South Korean newspapers to
point the finger at the government which they deem "incapable" of
managing situations of risk. Today the "Blue House" (the Presidential
palace in Seoul) responded by announcing an increase in safety measures for
embassies and their leaders.