The government has officially designated as a "terror attack" the stabbing assault in Busan in 2024 against President Lee Jae-myung when he was leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. It is the first time since the enactment of the anti-terrorism law in 2016 that the government has defined a specific incident as terrorism.
On the 20th, the government convened the National Counter-Terrorism Council and said, "As a result of deliberating and resolving on whether to designate 'the president's Gadeokdo assault incident (Jan. 2, 2024)' as terrorism, it has been decided to designate the incident as terrorism."
This follows Prime Minister Kim Min-seok's request on the 14th to restart the Joint Counterterrorism Investigation Team.
A joint investigation by relevant agencies, including the National Intelligence Service, the Korean National Police Agency, the National Fire Agency, the military (Defense Counterintelligence Command), and the National Forensic Service, determined that the perpetrator's act meets the constituent elements of terrorism under the anti-terrorism law.
In addition, the Ministry of Government Legislation interpreted that the incident constitutes terrorism under the anti-terrorism law, and that even without an explicit procedural provision for designation, the National Counter-Terrorism Council can deliberate and resolve on "whether it is terrorism."
This decision is the first case since the enactment of the anti-terrorism law in which the government has designated a specific incident as terrorism.
As a follow-up measure, the government will conduct additional fact-finding on the incident and prepare measures to prevent a recurrence of similar cases, including strengthening the protection of key figures during election periods. It also plans to push for comprehensive reviews and improvements across related laws and systems, including the anti-terrorism law.