PPP lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin required head surgery after rock attack

The medical staff at Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital in Seoul said they had to twice surgically close a cut on the scalp of People Power Party lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin, following an attack earlier in the day on Thursday.

Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital Seoul neurosurgeon Park Sukh-que, on the left, during the press briefing held at the hospital in Yongsan, Seoul, on Thursday. [YONHAP]

The medical staff at Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital in Seoul said they had to twice surgically close a cut on the scalp of People Power Party lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin, following an attack earlier in the day on Thursday.

The hospital's neurosurgeon, Park Sukh-que, said in a press briefing on Thursday that the lawmaker suffered a 1-centimeter cut on her scalp.

"When she was rushed to the emergency room, she was clearly conscious," Park said. "The bleeding wasn’t severe."

However, the neurosurgeon said that Bae was still in shock and displaying anxiety.

"We conducted a CT scan," Park said. "There was no internal bleeding or fractures."

The doctor, however, added that she still needed to be stabilized due to the potential for delayed bleeding, especially from the concussion caused by the fall.

Another doctor said that there was scrapping on the side of her face, presumably caused during the fall.

He emphasized that while the condition is unlikely to worsen, the hospital will continue to monitor her situation.

The 40-year-old lawmaker was attacked with a rock by an assailant claiming to be 15 years-old in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam, at 5:18 p.m. on Thursday.

The assailant reportedly asked the lawmaker if she was Bae before hitting her with a rock that split on impact.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]