Korean Protester Convicted Of Allegedly Slashing U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert In March Incident

Seoul Central District Court on Friday charged South Korean protester Kim Ki Jong guilty of attempted murder after attacking United States ambassador to South Korea, Mark Lippert, in March. Kim will face a 12-year imprisonment for assaulting Lippert.

"Kim seems to have had a strong will to attack the victim, choosing a knife to repeatedly slash the part of the body that had a direct connection with life," Judge Kim Dong Ah said, Yonhap News reported on the same day.

However, despite the pieces of evidence found in Kim's home which reveal that the protester supports North Korea's strategy, Kim was acquitted of violating South Korea's law that prohibits people from praising the North.

"While some of the defendant's arguments coincide with that of the North, such as opposing the military exercises, they are ideas that have been often claimed by the academic circles and civic groups in the country," Judge Kim said.

He went on, "Kim had been studying reunification at graduate school. Considering the huge amount of materials on the two countries' traditional cultures found at his place, Kim does not seem to have kept the pro-North Korean documents to benefit the North."

55-year-old Kim attacked the US ambassador with a knife last March 5 in Seoul, South Korea, during a breakfast meeting that was organized by the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation.

The South Korean protester assaulted Lippert before the latter could even deliver his speech. Lippert was left with deep wounds, with one of which required 80 stitches, after Kim slashed him on the face.

Stripes noted on Thursday that the Korean protester dubbed himself as an anti-US activist. Kim also told the authorities that the attack was an outcry on the annual US-South Korean military drills, however, he added that he did not plan to kill Lippert.

Meanwhile, investigators in the case were lauded by the US embassy in Seoul. Also, the embassy expressed its gratitude to South Koreans who have shown their support on the case.

"We continue to appreciate the strong support of the Korean people and the Korean government following the attack on Ambassador Lippert in March," embassy spokesman Daniel Turnbull said, as noted by CNN on Friday.

He added, "This support demonstrates the deep friendship between our peoples."