Article content

By Sam Kim and Rose Kim

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert was assaulted by a knife-wielding man in central Seoul Thursday morning in an attack that left him bleeding from the face. The ambassador’s injuries aren’t life-threatening, both local police and an Obama administration official said.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert slashed by attacker Back to video

Television footage showed the ambassador, with blood on his face and hands, being hustled into a nearby police car. Organizers of the speaking event attended by Lippert identified the attacker as Kim Ki Jong and said he previously received a suspended two-year jail sentence for throwing a piece of concrete at the Japanese ambassador to South Korea in 2010.

Police are still investigating and aren’t ready to identify the attacker, the chief of Jongno Police Station Yun Myeong Seong said at a televised briefing. The attack occurred after Lippert had arrived at the Sejong Center for a speaking event. The assailant was sitting at the next table to Lippert and used a 25-centimeter (10-inch) fruit knife in the attack, Yun said.