The U.S. ambassador to South Korea said Thursday he is "doing well and in great spirits" after an assailant in Seoul slashed him on the face and wrist with a knife.
Ambassador Mark Lippert was treated at a hospital, and later wrote on Twitter that he and his family were deeply moved by an outpouring of support and that he would soon return to advance U.S.-South Korean relations.
Witnesses said the assault happened as Lippert attended a breakfast and a man police later identified as 55-year-old Kim Ki-Jong attacked the ambassador with a 25-centimeter knife.
South Korean media reported that Kim screamed, "South and North Korea should be reunified."
The rival Koreas have been divided for decades along the world's most heavily armed border. The U.S. has stationed 28,500 troops in South Korea as a deterrent against North Korea, and some South Koreans see the U.S. presence as a barrier toward a unified Korea.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye said the slashing was an "attack on the South Korea-U.S. alliance."