Police conclude there was no mastermind behind Lee Jae Myung's Gadeok Island attack; accomplices and false report confirmed [Full report]

Input: 2026-07-16 12:49:14

Updated: 2026-07-16 12:49:14

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said on the 19th that it held a meeting with the heads of major petrochemical companies chaired by Minister Ahn Duk-geun and explored ways to strengthen the industry's competitiveness amid a global supply glut.

In January 2024, Lee Jae Myung, then the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, was attacked on the left side of his neck while speaking with reporters after touring the site of the Gadeok Island New Airport in Busan. He was left bleeding and collapsed. Yonhap News Agency

[Financial News] Police have reinvestigated the 'Busan Gadeok Island attack case' involving Lee Jae Myung and sent to prosecutors additional accomplices, as well as police and National Intelligence Service officials involved in destroying evidence at the scene and drafting a false report. Investigators found that the attacker, identified only by his surname Kim, selectively consumed YouTube videos and information that matched his political views, then distorted them in a biased way before carrying out the crime. However, no signs of a separate mastermind were found.

Seven police and intelligence officials referred to prosecutors

The 'Gadeok Island terror case investigation task force' under the National Office of Investigation said at a briefing on the results of its probe on the 16th that it had referred a total of seven people to prosecutors, including one additional accomplice, three police officials, and two NIS officials, among them former prosecutor Kim Sang-min, who was then serving as the NIS legal special adviser.

Lee Jae Myung visited Gadeok Island in Busan on Jan. 2, 2024, when he was the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. He was stabbed in the left side of the neck by a knife wielded by Kim, 67, and underwent surgery and hospitalization. In January this year, the case was designated a 'terrorist act' under the Act on Counter-Terrorism for the Protection of Citizens and Public Security. Police then formed the task force and spent six months investigating accomplices, possible masterminds, evidence destruction during the washing of the scene, and allegations that the case had been minimized or covered up.

Through reinterviews, search-and-seizure operations, and analysis of mobile phone forensic data, the task force determined that Kim's former co-worker, identified as A, was an additional accomplice. A is accused of strengthening Kim's resolve to commit the attack by helping him dispose of his belongings and agreeing to deliver a memo to the media that justified the crime, even though A knew about the plan around April 2023. The task force referred A to prosecutors in April on charges of aiding attempted murder and violating the anti-terrorism law.

Illegal conduct was also found in the police's washing of the crime scene. Busan Gangseo Police Station chief B and officials C and D were found to have ordered officers to wash the scene before forensic examination and evidence collection had been completed, destroying key evidence such as bloodstains.

B later submitted a false report to senior authorities, claiming that the washing had been carried out in consultation with the investigative unit, in an apparent attempt to avoid responsibility. Based on that report, the circumstances of the scene cleaning were inaccurately explained to the media, the National Assembly, and investigative agencies, and necessary follow-up measures were not taken. The task force referred the retired B to prosecutors on charges of abuse of power, destruction of evidence, and the preparation and use of false official documents, while C and D were referred on charges of abuse of power and destruction of evidence.

A task force official said, "We focused our investigation on whether there were orders from above, but the parties involved, related officials, and the command line all denied giving such instructions, and we found no evidence of related reports or directives." The official added, "Since the incident occurred while the local police station was responsible for security and protection of key figures, there appears to have been concern about criticism and backlash."

It was also revealed that a false report was prepared during the process of deciding not to designate the case as terrorism. On the day of the incident, the Busan-area joint counterterrorism investigation team had not issued its findings, yet E and F, officials in the NIS counterterrorism unit, drafted a joint investigation report. Investigators found that the NIS notified the report to relevant ministries and took no further action until Kim's guilty verdict was finalized.

Former prosecutor Kim was also found to have drafted a report containing false information last March while reviewing whether the case qualified as terrorism, including describing the 18-centimeter modified weapon used in the attack as a 'box cutter.' Based on that report, the NIS concluded that the case did not constitute terrorism. The task force referred Kim and two other NIS officials to prosecutors on the 3rd on charges including the preparation of false official documents.

The task force official said, "Based on the materials we secured, the statements we obtained, and the circumstances under which the report was written, we determined that there was intent in its preparation." The official added, "Although the writer at the time knew it was not a box cutter, we believe it was written that way in the report." The official continued, "No government intervention or external pressure was confirmed at the time, but the report became a starting point for delaying the judgment on whether the case was terrorism."

'No separate mastermind behind the attack'

However, investigators found no evidence that a separate mastermind was involved in the case. Through profiling and analysis of YouTube subscription records, the task force concluded that Kim had selectively consumed videos and information that matched his political views from around 2018 and then distorted them in a biased way. The task force said that his extremist tendencies, combined with the assistance of an accomplice, led him to carry out the attack.

The task force also confirmed that Kim had attempted the attack again in late December 2023, when Lee visited the Incheon Gongdan Fire Station. As a result, the number of attempted attacks by Kim rose from five to six. The task force official said, "We carefully examined various allegations, including claims of outside pressure in the process of concealing party affiliation and personal information, reports that minimized the case, police blocking the NIS joint investigation, and intelligence agency involvement in the helicopter transfer controversy. But apart from the cases we referred to prosecutors, we found no criminal suspicion." The official added, "We also asked relevant agencies to block and delete 184 posts spreading false information, including intentionally and maliciously manipulated content uncovered during the investigation."

welcome@fnnews.com Jang Yu-ha Reporter

· This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.

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