On January 25th, Bae Hyun-jin, a lawmaker for the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP), was assaulted in Gangnam, Seoul.

Around 5 p.m., Representative Bae Hyun-jin was struck on the head with a rock in front of an elevator in a building in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu.

She was rushed to Soonchunhyang Hospital in Yongsan District, Seoul.

According to the hospital and police, Bae suffered a laceration of about 1cm on her scalp and scratches on the right side of her face.

The suspect apprehended at the scene has been confirmed to be a 15-year-old middle school student, and as of now, the motive behind the assailant's attack remains unknown.

On January 2nd, Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party leader, fell victim to a serious attack with a sharp knife during his visit to Busan.

He suffered significant injuries that could have cost him his life.

Still, fortunately, after emergency surgery, he was able to be discharged from the hospital after a week.

Acts of terrorism against politicians have occurred in the past as well.

In 2006, there was an incident where Park Geun-hye, who was then the leader of the Hannara Party, was attacked with a cutter knife while campaigning in support of Oh Se-hoon, a candidate for Seoul mayor.

Additionally, in 2015, there was an incident where Mark Lippert, the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea at the time, was injured in an attack by an assailant during an event held at the Sejong Cultural Center.

In neighboring Japan, on July 8th, 2022, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was attacked during an election campaign and was killed.

One fundamental reason for political terrorism is the lack of trust between politicians and citizens.

The backdrop behind this is the exploitation of extreme fandom, hatred, and anger for political purposes.

Today's political climate, characterized by politicians' reckless rhetoric and willingness to employ any means necessary to seize power, can be considered a cause of political terrorism.

Political terrorism is also extremely serious because it can potentially breed further political terrorism in a domino effect.

The worrying point is that, as we approach the April general election, the political sphere seems to neglect discussions about vision and policy, instead resorting to consistent personal attacks, insults, and character assassination against opponents.

This division into ruling and opposition camps is escalating to extremes in factional politics.

Various opinion polls indicate that with less than 100 days remaining until the upcoming general election, the stakes are incredibly high, and both the ruling and opposition parties will undoubtedly gamble with their fortunes.

As a result, as the competition intensifies, polarization between the two sides is increasing, and there is a risk of negative campaigning spiraling out of control.

In such a heated atmosphere, there remains a concern about the recurrence of terrorist incidents targeting politicians.

It's a time when rationality is needed in casting one's vote: The political realm must refrain from engaging in extreme confrontations that could lead to further tragedy, and voters should exercise their franchise calmly and rationally.

SeokJun Kim

Grade 12

Woodberry Forest School