Seoul prosecutors seek 15-year term for US envoy attacker

US Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert. AP FILE PHOTO

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean prosecutors on Thursday asked for a 15-year prison term for the man they say slashed the US ambassador during a breakfast forum in March.

Prosecutors made the request at the end of the trial of Kim Ki-jong, who faces charges of attempted murder, assaulting a foreign envoy and obstruction, according to the Seoul Central District Court.

The court will issue a verdict Sept. 11, a court official said on condition of anonymity citing official rules.

Police said he attacked Ambassador Mark Lippert with a knife, inflicting deep gashes on his face and arm. Lippert was treated at a Seoul hospital for five days.

Police said Kim told investigators he chose Lippert as a target to highlight his opposition to springtime US-South Korean military drills, which North Korea calls an invasion rehearsal.

Anti-US activists such as Kim have long opposed such military training between Seoul and Washington and the presence of 28,500 US troops in South Korea, blaming them for persistent animosities on the Korean Peninsula.

Seoul and Washington have said their drills are defensive in nature and that the US military presence is aimed at deterring potential aggression from North Korea.

During Thursday’s trial, prosecutors said Kim clearly intended to kill Lippert because of the force of repeated downward stabbing motions on a critical body part, according to Yonhap news agency. Kim’s defense lawyer said he only that tried to inflict harm on Lippert without intending to killing him, Yonhap said.

Court officials said they couldn’t confirm the report.