The Korea Herald

피터빈트

Yoon 'appalled' over Trump shooting

By Son Ji-hyoung

Published : July 14, 2024 - 15:26

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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks to the press during the NATO 75th anniversary summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington on Thursday. (AFP-Yonhap) South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks to the press during the NATO 75th anniversary summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington on Thursday. (AFP-Yonhap)

South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday expressed best wishes to former US President Donald Trump, denouncing the shooting attack during his presidential election campaign rally in Pennsylvania that left him wounded Saturday.

"I am appalled by the hideous act of political violence," Yoon noted on his X account. "I wish former President Trump a speedy recovery. The people of Korea stand in solidarity with the people of America."

Yoon's spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung said in a written statement that the Yoon administration "strongly condemns any form of political violence," and that Yoon expressed regret upon hearing the news.

South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also echoed the presidential office's view, stating that Seoul strongly condemns the political violence regarding the shooting attack on Trump. It also said the ministry and the Embassy of South Korea in the United States would closely monitor the situation.

Also on Sunday, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, former chair of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, voiced up against Saturday's attack.

In his X post, Lee, who himself was stabbed during a campaign rally in Busan in January, called for Trump's speedy recovery and stern actions, describing the shooting as "a serious crime that unsettles the foundation of democracy."