WASHIINGTON — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol condemned political violence Sunday, the day after an assassination attempt against former U.S. President Donald Trump.
“I am appalled by the hideous act of political violence. I wish former President Trump a speedy recovery,” Yoon said in a post on his X social media account in English. “The people of South Korea stand in solidarity with the people of America.”
On Saturday, Trump — who is set this week to be officially nominated as the Republican presidential candidate in the Nov. 5 election against Democratic President Joe Biden — said he was hit in his right ear by a bullet fired by a gunman during his rally in Pennsylvania. The gunman was shot and killed at the scene by a Secret Service sniper.
The South Korean presidential office also released a statement, saying “Our government strongly condemns any form of political violence.”
It added, “Our government would like to offer sympathy to the American people who are shaken by this incident.”
In a separate statement, South Korea’s foreign ministry repeated the condemnation of political violence, adding that it is closely monitoring the issue in close consultation with the South Korean Embassy in the U.S. The country’s political parties denounced in unison the assassination attempt on Trump.
“Political terrorism is a threat to democracy and cannot be tolerated for any reason,” Ho Jun Seok, a spokesperson for the ruling People Power Party, said in a statement.
He continued, "political terrorism is the product of politics based on extremism and hatred, and politicians have a responsibility to unite society."
Han Min-soo, a spokesperson for the main opposition Democratic Party, said, "Political terrorism is a serious challenge to democracy. It cannot be justified for any reason.”
Physical attacks against political leaders are not uncommon in South Korea.
This year, former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck during a visit to Busan in January.
In 2006, former President Park Geun-hye, then leader of the Grand National Party, was severely injured by a knife-wielding man in his 50s while she took the podium at a campaign rally in Seoul. Her father, Park Chung-hee, who served as president for nearly 16 years, was shot to death by a confidant in 1979.
South Korean people expressed their feelings, hearing the news of the assassination attempt targeting Trump.
"As the United States is an eternal ally of South Korea, I was shocked to learn a presidential candidate was shot,” Wonjung Jung, a 32-year-old office worker in Seoul, told VOA’s Korean Service on Sunday.
“There are many terrorist attacks against politicians now, and that is not acceptable in any way,” he said.
Yunseo Son, a 28-year-old graduate student in the U.S., told VOA’s Korean Service that she was dismayed about violence used against innocent people.
"I feel a bit regretful that such violence occurs at a campaign rally, and it is very upsetting for the victims. I hope it can be resolved peacefully,” she said.
Kubok Chung, a retired professor of Korean history, wondered if the incident occurred because of the lack of gun control in the United States.
"In American society, it is a tradition for individuals to own firearms, but to eliminate violence, individual firearm possession must be banned, like in South Korea,” he told VOA’s Korean Service.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified the suspected gunman as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Pennsylvania. The FBI is still searching for a motive behind his attack on the former president. Public records show Crooks had no prior convictions and was a registered Republican, like Trump. But other records indicate he made a $15 political donation in 2021 to a left-leaning group that supports Democratic candidates, on the day President Joe Biden was sworn into office.
