South Korean ruling party MP attacked in street

South Korean lawmaker attacked with a rock in Seoul's Gangnam district; assailant arrested, victim hospitalized but stable.

A South Korean ruling party lawmaker was struck on the head with a rock by an unidentified assailant on a street in Seoul's upscale Gangnam district on January 25, Yonhap news agency reported.

Bae Hyun-jin, 40, was hospitalised at Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital in Seoul and her condition was not life-threatening, the medical institution said.

The lawmaker was bleeding before being transferred to the hospital in the South Korean capital, Yonhap said, adding she was struck on the back of her head.

The attack comes just weeks after Opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck while talking to reporters in the port city of Busan.

Park Seok-gyu, a doctor at the Seoul hospital where Ms. Bae was being treated, said medical staff used a stapler to perform two sutures to treat a one-centimetre scalp injury.

"Currently, it's not a situation where there is a great deal of concern, but still, it is a situation that requires some monitoring," Mr. Park told reporters, adding the lawmaker was experiencing swelling of the head and anxiety.

The male assailant, who allegedly asked Ms. Bae her name before assaulting her, was arrested by police at the scene of the attack, said Yonhap.