(EDITORIAL from Korea Times on March 6)

No tolerance of terror
Tighter security needed for foreign embassies

Any assault on a U.S. ambassador to Korea would be shocking, but the attack of envoy Mark Lippert is even more disturbing because he has been such a friendly and approachable diplomat since arriving in Seoul.

The envoy has vigorously reached out to the people since taking office five months ago, walking the streets with his family and his dog Grigsby and giving his son a Korean middle name ― James William Sejun Lippert.

On Thursday, the ambassador was about to offer a handshake when the 55-year-old assailant, Kim Ki-jong, approached him at a breakfast conference in downtown Seoul. Lippert received knife wounds to his right cheek and left wrist.

We deplore this type of violence against any individual and more so to an ambassador ― in this case, of the United States, Korea's closest ally. President Park Geun-hye, who is on a Middle East tour, condemned the attack as one on the strong alliance between South Korea and the U.S. Political parties and the government were united in denouncing the attack.

The U.S. State Department has strongly denounced the terror attack and President Barack Obama called the envoy to wish him a swift recovery. Messages from Koreans wishing him well are flowing in on his blog.

Political terror has been rare in Korea. The most glaring was the knife-slash attack on the then ruling party legislator and now President Park Geun-hye in 2006 when she was campaigning in local elections. Despite the tragic incident, Korea, rather than establishing fortified security measures, has been complacent in its general perception that such attacks are erratic and infrequent acts of a lone, often misled person.

Korea should accept the reality, particularly with the undercurrent of terror now running strongly worldwide, that it must prepare for varying types of terror. There should be no more complacency against such possibilities from now on.

Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo ordered a strengthening of security for foreign diplomatic facilities here, but those words should be turned into action. The government has pledged to probe and prosecute those responsible for lapses in security. Officials should further review the security system at foreign embassies, which have largely been accessible to the public.

The assailant has a record of politics of hate and violence. In July 2010, he threw pieces of concrete at former Japanese Ambassador Toshinori Shigeie during a conference in Seoul. In 2007, he attempted self-immolation in front of Cheong Wa Dae to demand an inquiry into a 1988 rape case that occurred in Seoul.

His aberrant action should not harm the values Korean society has aimed for, and we hope that the ambassador will continue to love Korea as he has done so far. To be sure, the South Korea-U.S. alliance is strong enough to endure the shocking nature of the case.

We hope to see the ambassador soon on the streets, walking with his family and his dog.

colin@yna.co.kr
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