South Korean police said a 14-year-old kid was sent to a mental health institution on Friday, January 26, after he assaulted a female legislator many times with a rock as she resisted. The authorities are still investigating the crime.
Bae Hyunjin, a member of the conservative governing party, was attacked on Thursday, January 25. This comes weeks after opposition leader Lee Jae-Myung was stabbed in the neck, and it has further added to the worries around the toxic atmosphere surrounding the country's highly divided politics.
Bae had her wounds treated. Per doctors, she escaped major injury.
South Korean Parliamentarian Bae Hyun Jin Hospitalized After Attack; Assailant Arrested at Scene#BaeHyunjin #SouthKorea #Gangnam #PeoplePowerParty #LawmakerAssault #GangnamIncident #SouthKoreaNews #BNN pic.twitter.com/oJSLmCFY0T
— GeetaPillai (@GeetaaPillai) January 25, 2024
Physical Assault on Female Lawmaker
In a report by ABC News, the middle schooler was taken to a hospital early Friday by police investigators who interrogated him in front of his parents. According to Cheon Young-Gil, an officer at the Gangnam district police station in Seoul, they want to continue their investigation into the facility.
In cases when there is reason to believe that an individual may hurt themselves or others, South Korean law permits emergency admissions to a mental health facility for a maximum of three days, with the approval of both the patient's physicians and the police.
Cheon remained tight-lipped about the suspect's condition after the incident on Thursday afternoon at a building in southern Seoul, where he was taken into custody. The child had reportedly been seeing a therapist for his depression, per South Korean media citing unnamed acquaintances.
Cheon added, without providing any more details, that the suspect's age and health condition were factors in the emergency admission. He said that, with the boy's parents' consent, the police may try to prolong his hospital stay beyond the first three days.
On Friday, when Bae was still receiving treatment at the Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, she was also interrogated by police. Photos of Bae's bloodsplattered sweater and coat were shared by her office. The items were allegedly given to the police as evidence.
The attack's motivation remained unclear.
Targeting Prominent Political Figures
There have been other assaults on political personalities in South Korea recently.
The opposition leader, Lee, was attacked earlier this month while visiting the busy port city of Busan. As he was taking reporters on a tour of the Gadeok Island airport building site, he was stabbed in the neck while answering their questions.
In 2022, a man with a hammer attacked Song Young-Gil, Lee's Democratic Party leader, during a presidential campaign event. Song had stitches but was not seriously injured.
At a 2006 election event, a man attacked conservative opposition leader Park Geun-Hye with a box cutter. Park, who was elected president in 2012, had 60 stitches to repair an 11-centimeter (4-inch) facial wound.
