Ambassador Lippert attends KCRC event to keep promise

“Good morning, everyone. I am Se-jun’s father.”

U.S. Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert attended a breakfast meeting hosted by the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation at a hotel in central Seoul on Friday. He took part in the KCRC event eight months after being attacked at an event organized by the council on March 5. He addressed the same topic of "Peace on the Korean Peninsula and Ways to Advance Korea-U.S. Relations" as in the previous event. Only the venue of the event changed from the Sejong Center for Performing Arts in March to a nearly hotel.

Ambassador Lippert was smiling, as he shook hands with participants one by one, and greeted by saying “It is an honor,” and “Good to see you” in a way more accurate Korean than before.

At the event in March, Lippert suffered severe injury due to a weapon brandished by Kim Ki-jong, and was taken to a hospital. In an interview with The Dong-A Ilbo after being discharged from hospital about one month later, the U.S. envoy said that he was grateful to the Korean people for their support, adding that when conditions permit, he would participate at a KCRC event again. By attending Friday’s event, Lippert delivered on his promise. By taking part in a forum on the same theme at the same event before the year’s end, he completely dispelled "suspicion" that he might not attend.

“I am very thankful to the ambassador for accepting our invitation, and apologize for the mishap in March,” said Hong Sa-duk, the founding executive chairman of KCRC, said. “I hope that we will have additional invited lectures with the U.S. ambassador in the future.” Hong had said he would resign as chairman to take responsibility for the attack, but he remained in the post due to persuasion by people around him to stay in, and has been seeking to reconvene a forum by inviting Lippert as speaker.

Ambassador Lippert was guarded closely by a security team, which has been reinforced since the March attack. The attendees were also restricted to a minimal number of about 50, who were mostly members of the council. Among media outlets, a reporter at The Dong-A Ilbo who had helped the ambassador be taken to hospital was the only one who was invited.

shcho@donga.com