By Song Sang-ho
U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert has agreed to take to the podium again at a forum to be hosted by the same organization that held a seminar where he was attacked by a leftist extremist a month ago, its senior official and a source said Monday.
Saenuri Party Rep. Chang Yoon-seok, who serves as chairman of the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, recently met with the top U.S. envoy and requested him to give a lecture, the official said.
“(Lippert) has, in principle, agreed to take to the podium again at our forum during the meeting with Chang,” the official told The Korea Herald. “Details such as when and how the forum will be held has yet to be worked out. We are internally discussing those details.”
A source presumed that Lippert could deliver a lecture highlighting the strength of the South Korea-U.S. alliance sometime this month, possibly at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul, the same venue where the shocking knife attack took place.
Kim Ki-jong, the 55-year-old assailant, attacked Lippert with a paring knife during a morning seminar on March 5. At the scene, Kim said that he carried out the attack to stop the South Korea-U.S. military drills that were strongly opposed by North Korea.
The attack left an 11-cm wound on Lippert’s face and another injury on his left arm. The ambassador immediately received surgery and is currently recovering. Last Wednesday, the prosecution indicted Kim on charges of attempted murder, assault on a foreign diplomat and business obstruction.
Following the attack, the U.S. ambassador’s popularity surged here as he has constantly stressed the importance of the long-standing alliance between Seoul and Washington, dispelling concerns that the incident could damage the bilateral relationship.
Last week, in a blog post, he wrote the incident has further strengthened his belief in the “unbreakable bond” between the two countries.
Founded in September 1998, the KCRC has served as an entity to promote social and political cooperation for national unification. It involves different sections of Korean society including political and religious groups, and civil society regardless of their ideological orientation.
(sshluck@heraldcorp.com)