Lee Jae-min, the leader of South Korea’s main opposition party, was attacked with a knife during a visit to the southern city of Busan, a spokesman for his party said, quoted by CNN.

According to the official, Lee was visiting the construction site of the new Gadeokdo Airport when he was hit in the left side of the neck while talking to several reporters. A Democratic official told CNN that Lee was bleeding but conscious and was taken to a hospital.

Lee Jae-min, who narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election, was stabbed in the throat on Tuesday morning, the BBC reported, News.ro reported. The perpetrator – a man – was arrested on the spot.

Lee was taken to the hospital about 20 minutes after the attack. According to Yonhap, he was conscious.

In appearance, the attacker was about 50-60 years old, the journalists reported. He would approach Lee asking for his autograph before suddenly lunging in front of him to stab him.

A video of the attack posted on social media shows Lee falling first into the crowd and then to the ground as several people try to pin down the attacker. Photos after the incident show Lee lying on the ground with his eyes closed while someone presses a handkerchief around his neck.

Lee, 59, heads the Democratic Party of Korea. He is not a member of South Korea’s legislature, but is expected to run in the next general election in April 2024.

He narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election—by just 0.73 percent of the vote—to incumbent Yoon Suk-yeol, making it the closest presidential race in South Korean history. He is expected to run in the next presidential election in 2027.