U.S. Ambassador Testifies About Slasher Attack

U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert told police on Thursday that he felt the man who assaulted him with a knife last week harbored "murderous intent."

Two officers from the Seoul Metropolitan Police and an interpreter visited Lippert at the U.S. Embassy on Thursday. Lippert asked them no questions about his attacker, Kim Ki-jong.

The interview lasted almost two hours. Lippert spoke about the situation at the time of the attack and the extent of injuries he sustained.

Police focused on whether Lippert felt his life was in danger at the time of the attack. Kim has been charged with attempted murder.

Lippert was apparently in relatively good spirits. Police are sending a transcript of the interview to the embassy on Friday morning for Lippert to check and sign.

Kim has repeatedly told investigators that he merely wanted to hurt the U.S. envoy but had no intention of killing him. He claimed that he merely wanted to stage an attention-grabbing incident.

Police plan to hand over the results of their investigation to prosecutors on Friday. Kim faces additional charges of violating the National Security Law, which prohibits anything perceived as "aiding the enemy," North Korea.

Meanwhile, Lippert also recalled the attack in an interview on NBC's Today show on Wednesday. Asked whether he is now afraid to go out in Seoul, Lippert said the capital is a safe place and said he would continue to interact with the Korean public without hesitation.

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