Police will form a task force (TF) to investigate the 2024 attack on President Lee Jae-myung, which has been designated as terrorism.
The Korean National Police Agency National Office of Investigation (NOI) said on the 20th, "As the attack on Busan Gadeokdo has been designated as terrorism under the Act on Counter‑Terrorism for the Protection of Citizens and Public Security, we will conduct a thorough investigation so that not a single doubt remains," and added, "To secure fairness and objectivity, we will newly organize an investigative TF." It added, "We will do our best to uncover the truth about whether there was any reduction or cover-up by behind-the-scenes or colluding forces."
The National Office of Investigation (NOI) will handle the formation and operation of the investigative TF. In addition to whether there were any behind-the-scenes or colluding forces, the circumstances under which the incident was not designated as terrorism during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration are also expected to be subject to investigation.
The government, chaired by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, held the 22nd National Counterterrorism Commission meeting at Government Complex Seoul on the day and designated the Gadeokdo attack as terrorism. Since the enactment of the 2016 "Act on Counter‑Terrorism for the Protection of Citizens and Public Security" (counterterrorism law), this is the first case in which the government has designated a specific incident as terrorism.
The president, who was the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, was stabbed in the left side of the neck with a weapon wielded by a person surnamed Kim, 67, during a visit to Busan's Gadeokdo on Jan. 2, 2024, and underwent surgery and was hospitalized for treatment.