South Korea: ‘U.S. envoy attacker had intention to murder’

South Korean police vowed Monday to press on with attempted murder charges against the man who injured U.S. ambassador Mark Lippert in a knife attack, despite the assailant’s denial that he intended to kill. Doctors said Lippert, 42, was recovering well from Thursday’s assault by nationalist activist Kim Ki-Jong, which left the envoy requiring surgery to repair deep gashes to his face and hand. District police chief Yun Myeong-Seong said Kim, 55, had revealed under questioning that he had prepared two weapons for the attack - the knife and a razor which he didn’t use.

But given the deep wounds on the ambassador’s face and arms and the fact that Kim chose the kitchen knife instead of a razor, we believe that he clearly had an intention to murder.

S. Korea District police chief Yun Myeong-Seong

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye visited Lippert in hospital on Monday after returning from an overseas tour, her spokesman said. Park received a facial injury in 2006 after being attacked by a razor-wielding man when she was campaigning as a legislator. Kim has said he attacked Lippert as a protest against ongoing South-US army drills, which he blamed for souring inter-Korean relations. The annual drills, known as Foal Eagle and Key Resolve, have long been condemned by Pyongyang as rehearsals for invasion. Kim has insisted he acted alone, and North Korea has accused the South of launching a “vicious” smear campaign to tie its leadership to the attack.

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