US ambassador attacked in South Korea

The US ambassador to South Korea has been attacked by a knife-wielding man shouting anti-war slogans during a public event at an arts centre in Seoul.

The ambassador, Mark Lippert, was assaulted during a breakfast conference yesterday as he was preparing to give a lecture about prospects for peace on the divided Korean Peninsula.

The US Embassy said Lippert is in a stable condition after surgery at a Seoul hospital.

The suspect, identified by police as Kim Ki-jong, 55, was immediately apprehended at the scene. 

Police said he slashed Lippert on the face and wrist with a knife. 

Kim had a previous conviction for hurling a stone at the then Japanese ambassador to Seoul in 2010.

AL JAZEERA