North-Korea Applauds Knife Attack On U.S Ambassador

A man opposed to the joint South Korea-U.S. military drills attacked the American ambassador in Seoul, slashing his face and arms as he was about to give a speech Thursday morning.

North Korea quickly called the stabbing a "knife attack of justice," and said it reflected "anti-U.S. sentiment" in South Korea.

The U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, Mark Lippert, was in stable condition after undergoing more than two hours of surgery and 80 stitches to his face. He will likely remain hospitalized for three to four days, Dr. Jung Nam-shik at Yonsei Severance Hospital said.

Police identified the suspect as Kim Ki-Jong, a 55-year-old man with a history of unpredictable behavior.

In 2010, he received a suspended two-year prison sentence for throwing a piece of concrete at a Japanese Ambassador to South Korea, according to the Yonhap news agency.

The motive for his attack Thursday? He wanted to an end to the South Korea-U.S. military drills to better North-South relations, police said. The drills are held annually and are met with harsh criticism from North Korea.

Pyongyang called the attack "just punishment for U.S. warmongers," according to its official news agency, KCNA.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye, on the other hand, condemned the incident.

"This incident is not only a physical attack on the U.S. ambassador, but an attack on the South Korea-U.S. alliance and it can never be tolerated."