People Power Party (PPP) legislator Bae Hyun-jin was assaulted on Jan. 25 by a 15-year-old middle school student in a Gangnam building in Seoul. The assailant targeted Bae’s head, striking her more than ten times with a stone. Police are investigating the motive behind the attack. This incident follows another act of terrorism against a politician earlier this month when Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Lee Jae-myung was attacked on the 2nd.
The assault on Bae occurred on the first floor of a Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu building around 5:15 p.m., as revealed by the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul. The assailant struck Bae’s head a total of 17 times with a stone. The incident took place while Bae’s secretary was in the parking lot.
Surveillance cameras in the building, disclosed by Bae’s office and the police, captured the assailant asking, “Are you Representative Bae Hyun-jin?” After confirming her identity, the assailant attacked her with a stone. Even after Bae fell, the assailant continued to strike her head about ten times. A restaurant staff member intervened upon hearing Bae’s cries for help, but the assailant persisted in targeting Bae’s head with the stone.
A spokesperson from Bae’s office mentioned, “The attack was severe enough to shatter the stone.” The assailant is reported to be a student from a nearby middle school. A police official stated, “The assailant’s actions go beyond simple assault, and we are investigating the exact motive.” Acquaintances of the assailant reported that he often shared political-related posts and videos on social media and group chat rooms.
The 15-year-old assailant could face criminal penalties under the criminal law. Article 9, Section 1 of the criminal law designates individuals under the age of 14 as juvenile delinquents. However, according to the current Juvenile Act, if a crime that qualifies for imprisonment or more is discovered, the case may be transferred to the prosecution based on the necessity of criminal disposition, following a trial in the Family Court or the Juvenile Department of the relevant District Court.
Experts suggest that this incident might be influenced by the attack on DPK Chairman Lee. Oh Yoon-sung, a professor of police administration at Soonchunhyang University, said, “Given recent acts of terrorism against politicians, there is a possibility that the assailant committed this copycat crime with the mindset that it can ‘attract attention.’” Kim Bok-jun, a research fellow at the Korean Institute for Criminology, said, “As animosity towards politicians increases, the chances of such symbolic crimes rise.”
