Kim Ki-jong, the man who attacked U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert with a knife last week, was a pro-North Korean activist with a clear intention to kill the envoy, police said Friday.
“Kim, who had anti-American sentiment from before the attack, said he planned the attack by taking into consideration the envoy’s representativeness of the U.S.,” the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said in a briefing.
Police forwarded the case to the prosecutors, with charges of attempted murder, battery of a foreign delegate and obstruction of official duties. Their investigation into whether Kim violated the National Security Law and if there was any accomplice or an organization behind him will continue, they said.
 |
| Kim Chul-jun, a senior police officer at Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, announces the results of the investigation into the knife attack on U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert at Jongno Police Station in Seoul on Friday. (Yonhap) |
Kim was found to have contacted a man previously convicted of spying for North Korea and a known member of a pro-North organization, but officials are yet to find tangible evidence linking either party to Kim.
“Kim denied his intention to kill the ambassador. But due to the fact that he approached the envoy with a knife and attacked him immediately upon finding him, and stabbed the victim more than twice with the ferocity that was described as ‘hacking,’ we’ve concluded that his purpose was to murder (Lippert),” police said.
Kim’s attack on March 5 during a morning seminar sparked diplomatic concerns over the Korea-U.S. alliance, reignited political debate over pro-North forces and prompted days of rallies by citizens in support of Lippert.
While defined by the U.S. as an attack by a radical individual, Seoul officials and politicians lambasted the aggression as an attack on the alliance. Korean authorities escalated their investigation and bolstered security around foreign envoys here.
Police said the 55-year-old attacker appears to have acted out of frustration with the Korea-U.S. military drill and that Kim, calling himself a patriot, believed the drill was the main reason hindering inter-Korean relations.
The SMPA said they found Kim to be pro-North based on his testimonies, and that they confirmed he visited the communist country seven times.
They also found evidence that Kim elaborately premeditated the attack such as by looking at Lippert’s blog and searching Lippert’s height and the criminal law the day before.
Kim was arrested after approaching and wounding Lippert in the face and left wrist with a 25-centimeter knife. The police launched an 83-member team to investigate the case and questioned a total of 35 witnesses including the seminar’s organizer Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation. They searched Kim’s home and office and looked into his recent whereabouts, phone logs and bank accounts.
After confiscating 43 items including books, the police said they received confirmation from experts that 24 of them contained contents “benefiting the enemy.”
On Thursday, police visited Lippert for testimonies during which the envoy stated he wished for Kim to be punished.
Upon the attack, President Park Geun-hye blasted it as an “attack on the South Korea-U.S. alliance,” while ordering a thorough investigation on the case. She visited the hospitalized ambassador Monday on the coattails of returning from her Middle East tour.
The ruling Saenuri Party defined the attack as “an act by followers of North Korea,” and launched an offensive against the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy as “being a host for pro-North figures.”
Although the investigation has not unearthed a direct connection between Kim and the NPAD, the Saenuri Party urged the opposition to announce they will sever ties with pro-North Korean advocates.
The NPAD said they were mulling legal actions against Saenuri lawmakers that accused them of having connections with Pyongyang.
By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)
