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US ambassador to South Korea injured in attack in central Seoul

The American diplomat was rushed to a nearby hospital, police said

Mark Lippert EPA/YONHAP

Mark Lippert

SEOUL, 5 March. /TASS/. US Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert was slashed in the face in central Seoul early on Thursday, police say.

The attacker was arrested at the scene, identified as 55-year-old Kim Ki-jong. During the attack, he shouted his opposition to the annual Key Resolve and Foal Eagle military exercises of South Korea and the US that started in the country on Monday. Police said they were questioning the suspect.

"We strongly condemn this act of violence," State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement.

The American diplomat was rushed to a nearby hospital, police said.

Lippert, 42, took office last year as the youngest US ambassador to South Korea ever.

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