U.S. ambassador to South Korea in stable condition

UPDATE: U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert is in stable condition at a Seoul hospital after a knife attack. According a spokesman at Severance Hospital, Lippert received 80 stitches to close a wound on his face and had surgery to repair damage to tendons and nerves in his left arm. Lippert later posted on his Twitter account that he was “doing well and in great spirits” and would be back “ASAP” to advance the U.S.–South Korean alliance.

Police said the assailant was Kim Ki-jong, 55, who has a long history of anti-U.S. protests.

OUR EARLIER REPORT (March 4, 6:48 p.m.): Mark Lippert, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, was injured in an attack Thursday in Seoul, according to South Korean police and media.

TV images showed Lippert, who was giving a lecture at the time of the attack, bleeding from his head and wrist as he was taken to a hospital for treatment. YTN TV said his injuries did not appear to be life threatening.

The man, who was wielding a razor, reportedly yelled, “South and North Korea should be reunified” during the attack. Police detained the suspected attacker, identified only by his surname, Kim, and are questioning him.

The United States has 28,500 troops in South Korea, used mostly as a deterrent against the rogue state of North Korea. Some South Koreans see the U.S. presence as a barrier toward a unified Korea.

Lippert, 42, became ambassador last year and was formerly the U.S. assistant secretary of defense for Asian affairs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.