Mark Lippert slashing called ‘knife attack of justice’ by North Korea

A knife attack on Mark Lippert, U.S. ambassador to South Korea, was applauded by North Korea on Thursday as a “knife attack of justice.”

Mr. Lippert was slashed in the face early Thursday and required two hours of surgery to stitch up his wounds. The regime of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un added that the attack reflected “anti-U.S. sentiment” in South Korea, CNN reported Thursday.

Kim Ki-Jong, 55, screamed “South and North Korea should be reunified” during the attack and was promptly taken into custody by police. He was previously found guilty in 2010 for throwing concrete at a Japanese ambassador to South Korea and received a suspended two-year prison sentence, CNN reported.

“We strongly condemn this act of violence,” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Thursday.

Mr. Lippert was giving a speech at an academic conference on the reunification of North and South Korea when the attack occurred. The exact motives for the attack are still unclear.