A regional court sentenced the knife attacker of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung to 15 years in prison Friday for the January stabbing in Busan that left Lee hospitalized for over a week with a neck wound.

Posing as a supporter asking for a signature, the 67-year-old attacker, surnamed Kim, approached the Democratic Party chair and stabbed him in the neck during Lee’s visit to the southeastern port city of Busan on Jan. 2 for an airport construction site inspection.

Kim has since said that his attack was intended to prevent Lee from becoming president.

The attack, which occurred three months before the April 10 parliamentary elections, left Lee hospitalized for eight days for blood vessel reconstruction surgery and recovery.

The Busan District Court on Friday sentenced Kim to 15 years in prison on charges of attempted murder and election law violations.

Source: Yonhap News Agency