14-year-old South Korean boy, who attacked lawmaker, Bae Hyun-jin, sent to a mental health facility
- Police, who interviewed the teen suspect in the presence of his parents, sent him to a mental facility early on Friday, where they plan to continue investigating him
- Security footage showed the attacker approaching Bae Hyun-jin inside a building hallway and began talking to her before striking her with a small rock
An assailant who repeatedly struck a South Korean lawmaker with a rock as she tried to resist was a 14-year-old boy who was sent to a mental health facility on Friday, Seoul police said as they continue to investigate the attack.
The attack on Thursday on Bae Hyun-jin, a member of the conservative ruling party, came just weeks after a man stabbed opposition leader Lee Jae-myung in the neck, and it raised further concerns about the toxic discourse around the country’s intensely polarised politics.
Bae was treated for cuts. Doctors said she avoided serious injury.
Police investigators who interviewed the middle-schooler suspect in the presence of his parents sent him to a hospital early on Friday, where they plan to continue investigating him, said Cheon Young-gil, an official at Seoul’s Gangnam district police station.
The emergency admission was based on consideration of the suspect’s age and his health condition
