Lee Su-jeong: "Lee Jae-myung Assailant Likely Not Mentally Ill... Person with Paranoid Thinking"

"Political Hatred Seems to Lead to Acts of Terrorism"

Professor Lee Su-jeong of the Department of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University analyzed the attack on Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stating, "It is difficult to view this as a random act of terrorism caused by mental illness."

Professor Lee, a preliminary candidate for the People Power Party in the general election, said in an interview on YTN Radio's 'Shin Yul's News Face-off' on the 2nd that the suspect in the incident seemed to have "been closely monitoring the victim's daily life and campaign process for quite some time." He added, "I think this person has a certain purpose, and there is no doubt that this was a terrorist act targeting Lee Jae-myung."

The suspect who attacked Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, with a bladed weapon at the site of the new Busan Gadeokdo Airport on the 2nd is being arrested by the police at the scene. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Professor Lee speculated that the suspect is unlikely to have a mental illness. This is because people with mental illnesses generally find it difficult to consistently plan attacks on specific individuals. He explained, "One must have the ability to search for information and continuously track campaign information online," adding, "If the mental illness is severe, it would be difficult to carry out such a planned act." He further pointed out, "The suspect probably has not been diagnosed with schizophrenia yet, but there is no doubt that he exhibits paranoid thinking."

Regarding political terrorism incidents, he said, "Since the general election is in April, campaigns will become increasingly intense. Therefore, there is no guarantee that such incidents will not happen again in the future." He added, "When holding public rallies targeting ordinary citizens, local governments should make efforts to ensure safety."

Professor Lee Su-jeong, Department of Criminal Psychology, Kyonggi University.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the higher frequency of attacks on politicians in Korea compared to foreign countries, Professor Lee said, "The atmosphere of distrust in politics is a unique situation in our country," expressing concern that "political hatred may lead to hostility toward politicians and eventually to concrete terrorist acts, which is quite worrisome."

Meanwhile, the police conducted a search and seizure of the home and workplace of Kim, the 67-year-old suspect who stabbed Lee with a weapon. The Busan Police Agency obtained a warrant from the court early that morning and began securing related materials from Kim’s real estate office and residence around 1:40 p.m. The police plan to investigate whether this was a premeditated crime, the motive behind the act, and the presence of accomplices based on the seized materials. Kim was arrested at the scene on the 2nd at 10:29 a.m. after stabbing Lee’s left neck with a weapon as Lee was walking to his vehicle after inspecting the Daehang Observatory in Gangseo-gu, Busan.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.