US ambassador attacked in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea – The US ambassador to South Korea, Mark Lippert, was injured in an attack by a razor-wielding assailant Thursday in Seoul, police and television reports said.

The YTN news channel, citing police sources, said a man with a razor blade concealed in his right hand had attacked Lippert as he was attending a breakfast function in central Seoul.

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert leaves a lecture hall for a hospital in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 5, 2015 after being attacked by a man. Lippert was attacked by a man wielding a razor and screaming that the rival Koreas should be unified, South Korean police and media said Thursday. AP

The channel carried a picture showing the bleeding ambassador holding his right hand to his right cheek, with his left hand smeared with blood.

Lippert, 42, was taken to hospital, but his injuries were reportedly not life-threatening.

The assailant, who was immediately taken into custody, reportedly shouted an anti-war slogan as he lashed out at the envoy, who only took up his post in Seoul last October.

The United States and South Korea launched annual joint military exercises this week, triggering a surge in tensions with North korea.

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