Attack in ROK not an election changer

A man made a murderous attack on Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Republic of Korea’s largest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, stabbing him in the neck at an event in Busan on Tuesday. Lee is now recovering after surgery.

The ROK president’s office has condemned the attack. Because of firearm control laws in the ROK, the country does not have a particularly high crime rate. Instances of violent attacks on political figures are also rare. People from various sections of society in the ROK have been guarded in their response, avoiding hasty conclusions in the run-up to the ROK National Assembly elections (midterm elections) in April.

Lee was attending an event to set the stage for the polls. Despite President Yoon Suk-yeol being from the ruling People Power Party, it holds significantly fewer seats in the ROK parliament. Which is why the elections are being seen as a “midterm exam” for Yoon.

Over the past year, the right wing has spared no effort to undermine opposition parties and influential figures such as Lee, aiming to reverse the right wing’s disadvantage in the parliament.

If the man who attacked Lee is found to be linked to the right wing, it might have an impact on the poll outcome. However, Lee’s personal safety is unlikely to become an election issue in the ROK, where elections are seen as a team effort, with party leaders carrying insignificant weight.

At the moment the right wing is trying to tarnish the left wing’s image by stirring up tensions between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the ROK while the left wing is trying to expose the connections between the right wing and money lords.

Also, under the current system in the ROK, the president wields significant power till his term ends in 2027; the parliament isn’t as significant in contrast. Hence, the attack on Lee is unlikely to have as much of an impact on the election.