US Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert has suffered injuries following an attack by an armed assailant in the capital city of Seoul.
Lippert was attacked while he was on his way to a breakfast meeting in the Sejong Cultural Institute in central Seoul on Thursday.
The report showed the ambassador after the attack with his left hand covered in blood.
According to police reports, the attacker was armed with a blade, which he used to slash the ambassador's wrist and face.
Following the attack, Lippert, 42, was rushed to hospital, where his injuries were reported not life threatening.
A spokesperson for the Korea Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, which was hosting the breakfast meeting, apologized for the lack of security at the function.
"This man suddenly jumped out of the audience seat when the breakfast was about to start at the table," AFP quoted the unnamed spokesperson as telling reporters.
"Other people tried to stop him but the situation unfolded too quickly. The ambassador was injured on the face and sent to hospital," he added.
According to reports, the assailant, who was wearing traditional Korean clothes, was tackled by police and security forces.
The attacker has been identified by police as Kim Ki-jong who has been reported to have a previous conviction for throwing a rock at Japan’s ambassador to Seoul in 2010.
"We have detained him and are investigating the cause of the attack and other circumstances," said district police chief Yoon Myung-soon.
Yoon added that the attack was carried out with a 25-centimeter (10-inch) paring knife.
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