This photo shows the knife attacker of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung being referred to the prosecution in Busan, Jan. 10, 2024. Newsis

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld lower courts' 15-year prison term for the knife attacker of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung.

The 68-year-old attacker, surnamed Kim, was indicted for stabbing the Democratic Party of Korea chair in the neck during his visit to the southeastern port city of Busan in January last year.

Kim has said that his attack was intended to prevent Lee from becoming president. The incident left Lee hospitalized for over a week.

Both a district court and a court of appeals sentenced Kim to 15 years in prison.

The Supreme Court said the lower courts' sentence for Kim cannot be seen as unfair considering all the circumstances, including the motive, means and results of the crime. (Yonhap)