Lee Jae-myung, who was the South Korean opposition Democratic Party leader, was stabbed in the neck on January 2 by a random person.

The attacker, who was wearing a paper crown with Lee's name, asked for an autograph before stabbing him in the neck. 

Lee, 59, underwent surgery to repair a major blood vessel and is now recovering in an intensive care unit. 

He was airlifted to Seoul for emergency treatment and had a two-hour surgery at Seoul National University Hospital. Now he is out of danger.

The suspect, born in 1957, used a 7-inch knife bought online. The motive behind the attack is under investigation.

Party spokesperson Kwon Chil-seung condemns the attack as "political terror." The incident happened a few weeks before the April parliamentary election.

Lee's attack is part of a history of political violence in South Korea. Gun buying is strictly restricted in South Korea.

In 2022, Lee's predecessor, Song Young-gil, got injured. In 2006, someone slashed conservative leader Park Geun-hye's face.