Ruling party lawmaker leaves hospital after brick attack by teenager

SEOUL, Rep. Bae Hyun-jin of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) was discharged from the hospital Saturday, days after she was hit in the head with a brick by a teenager. Bae described the attack she suffered as an accident that can happen to anybody, vowing to work "harder than ever" to ensure the safety of the people as soon as she fully recovers. "I realized, after becoming a direct victim of an unimaginable incident, that this kind of a terrible thing is a fatal threat to which anyone of us can so helplessly be exposed," Bae said in a Facebook post. "I thank our people for worrying about the incident," she said. "I will try harder than ever to keep my word to make sure our people and the residents of my Songpa district stay safe." Bae said that she believes the investigation into the attack will be carried out thoroughly and that a stern legal process will follow in accordance with the outcome of the probe. A 15-year-old boy struck Bae in the head more than 15 times with a brick in a building in Seou l's southern district of Gangnam on Thursday. Bae was taken to a hospital and treated for the head injury, which was not life-threatening. The assailant was arrested on the site and is being probed by the police in the presence of his parents. The boy's legal counsel has claimed he has been suffering from depression. Bae has refused to give leniency to her attacker and requested he be punished under relevant laws. Source: Yonhap News Agency