— TheBlazeNOW (@TheBlazeNOW) March 4, 2015
— Rodrigo (@RodrigoEBR) March 4, 2015
Lippert is the United States ambassador to the Republic of Korea. He previously held senior positions in the Department of Defense from May 2012 until September 2014.
— David Clinch (@DavidClinchNews) March 4, 2015
Televised pictures showed Lippert bleeding heavily. The attacker, identified by police as 55-year-old Kim Ki-jong, was wrestled to the floors and arrested, the Guardian reported.
According to South Korean media, witnesses at the scene said the attacker shouted his name several times during the attack. Kim reportedly has a criminal record and was last in prison in 2010 for throwing a concrete sculpture at the Japanese ambassador.
Reports say Kim used a razor blade to attack the ambassador and shouted "No drills for war," an apparent reference to ongoing South Korea-US military exercises, and other slogans calling for Korean unification.
Lippert's injuries are not life threatening and he is in stable condition.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye called the attack an "attack on the South Korea-US alliance," Reuters later reported.
President Barack Obama called Lippert to wish him a speedy recovery, according to CNN citing a US National Security Council spokesperson.
"He and his wife Robin are in [the president's] thoughts and prayers," Bernadette Meehan said.
