Lee, who heads the main opposition Democratic Party, was stabbed on the left side of his neck by a man who lunged out of the crowd as he was walking with journalists on Tuesday morning. Emergency officials have said he is not in a critical condition, although his exact status is unknown.
Pictures in South Korean media showed 59-year-old Lee lying on his back on the ground with his eyes closed, as officials crowded around him and one pressed a cloth against his neck.
Democratic Party party spokesman Kwon Chil-seung said the politician was being flown to Seoul National University in the capital, after receiving emergency treatment at Pusan National University Hospital.
Medical staff at the latter hospital suspected damage to a jugular vein that carries blood from the head to the heart. “There is concern that there could be large haemorrhage or additional haemorrhage, according to medical staff,” Kwon said.
The attack, seen in video footage and photographs, unfolded while Lee was touring the site of a proposed airport in Busan.
The assailant, wearing a paper crown with Lee’s name on it, initially approached the politician asking for an autograph. He then attacked him with a weapon that was between 20 and 30cm (8 and 12 inches) long.
Arrested at the scene, the assailant has refused to answer police questions about his motives, according to daily Busan Ilbo.
RHM/PR