"Severe Political Polarization... Another Political Terror Attack" ... Foreign Media's View on Bae Hyun-jin Assault

Rep. Bae Attacked in the Heart of Gangnam on the 25th
Foreign Media: "Second Political Terrorism This Month"
Suspect Is a Middle School Student... Emergency Hospitalization Taken

On the 25th, an incident occurred in the heart of Gangnam, Seoul, where Bae Hyun-jin, a member of the People Power Party, was attacked. Foreign media urgently reported the event, mentioning the recent assault on Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, earlier this month, stating that "political polarization in Korean society is intensifying."

"Three weeks after Lee Jae-myung's assault... Political polarization deepens"

[Image provided by Bae Hyunjin's office]

AP News published an article titled "South Korean politician attacked weeks after opposition leader assaulted," along with a photo of Representative Bae. AP reported, "Representative Bae was struck multiple times on the head with an object presumed to be a stone by an unidentified man and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital," adding, "The incident, occurring just weeks after opposition leader Lee was stabbed in Busan, has raised concerns about severe political polarization in Korean society."

The Washington Post (WP) also reported, "Political division in South Korea has reached a peak ahead of the April general election," noting, "Attacks on politicians are rare in South Korea, but this month has seen consecutive political terror incidents." The article referenced the 2022 assault on former Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil with a blunt instrument and the 2006 attack on former President Park Geun-hye during her time as opposition leader.

Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) English edition, Nikkei Asia, also covered the attack on Representative Bae, stating, "Following the assault on Lee, this recent incident has heightened concerns about deepening polarization and a culture of condemnation against politically opposing figures in South Korea." Additionally, numerous outlets including Bloomberg, CNN, and The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported breaking news that "Representative Bae was attacked by a man wielding a stone in the middle of Gangnam."

"Are you Representative Bae Hyun-jin?" Then struck with a stone... 15-year-old middle school student

Assemblywoman Baek Hyun-jin of the People Power Party. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

At around 5:20 p.m. on the same day, during a personal schedule, Representative Bae was attacked by a 15-year-old middle school student, A, at the entrance of a building in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. According to CCTV footage released by the representative’s office and staff, the suspect asked twice, "Are you Representative Bae Hyun-jin of the People Power Party?" before striking her head with a stone. Even after Representative Bae fell to the ground, the suspect continued to hit her more than ten times over about ten seconds until another man intervened. Representative Bae was then transported to a nearby university hospital for emergency treatment and is reported to be in stable condition.

On the 26th, the police announced that the middle school student A, who was arrested at the scene the previous day, was questioned in the presence of a guardian and was placed under emergency hospitalization early that morning. 'Emergency hospitalization' is a system that allows a person suspected of having a mental illness to be admitted to a medical institution for up to three days if there is an imminent risk of self-harm or harm to others. The police stated, "Considering the suspect is a minor and their current health condition," and added, "We will conduct a thorough investigation into the motive and other details of the crime and proceed with strict law enforcement."

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