South Korean Man Arrested Over Alleged Death Threat Against U.S. Ambassador

United States Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert faced a second scare of his relatively short spell in Seoul, it emerged Friday, as police announced the arrest of a local man for threatening to kill the envoy.

The man allegedly left an English-language message vowing to kill Mark Lippert with “nuclear poisoning” on the White House website on July 8, police said in a statement.

Man in his 30s hadn’t started a career since graduating in 2009, and spent much of his time at home on the internet The movie “The Man from Nowhere”, starring actor Won Bin, includes a scene in which police attempting to find a lead in their investigation send a fake email to the White House with a threat to assassinate the US President. Lippert suffered deep gashes on his face and arm in that attack in March and was treated at a Seoul hospital for five days.

Police on Friday said the online message, which contained many grammatical errors, didn’t clearly explain why he wanted to kill Mr. Lippert.

Police said the man has lived in seclusion at his home but there is no record of any psychiatric hospital treatment. Lee could be jailed for five years if found guilty.

The assailant was charged with attempted murder. Intimidation is considered a “no punishment against will” crime in South Korea, but the US Embassy specifically requested Lee be punished, police said.

Seoul and Washington enjoy a sturdy alliance on the surface, not least because almost 30,000 American military personnel are stationed in the South as a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.

The performance, titled “Letters from North Korea”, will be held at Daehak-ro Yeolim-Hall from July 27th (3 and 7p.m.) and 28th (3p.m.) and all proceeds will be used to help North Korean refugees safely escape to South Korea.