A militant Korean nationalist has slashed the face of the US ambassador to South Korea at a breakfast meeting in Seoul, but the envoy was not seriously hurt. Mark Lippert, 42, was also cut on his left hand, with blood spattered over the breakfast table. Security officers subdued the attacker, one pinning him down with a shoe on his neck, until he was arrested. North Korea has described the attack as “just punishment for US warmongers”. The North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said he had delivered a “knife shower of justice”. The attacker, named as Kim Ki-jong, 55, appears to have broken his ankle during the attack and was taken away on an ambulance trolley after questioning. South Korean police, who are in the process of obtaining warrants to search his home, are seeking to establish whether he has close ties with the North, the BBC’s Stephen Evans reports from Seoul. Mr Lippert had hospital treatment but later wrote in a tweet: “Doing well and in great spirits… Will be back ASAP to advance US-ROK [Republic of Korea] alliance!” US President Barack Obama called his ambassador to wish him “the very best for a speedy recovery”, a US official said.– Source : BBC online
