U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert suffered injuries to his face and left hand after he was attacked by a radical activist with a 10-inch knife March 5 in South Korea. This was the first time a U.S. ambassador was attacked on Korean soil. The gash on Lippert’s face ran about 4 inches long and a little over 1 inch deep from cheek to chin. He also suffered nerve damage to a finger on his left hand. Kim Ki-jong, the attacker, was protesting the South Korean-U.S. military drills.
This incident resulted in a stronger U.S.-South Korean alliance as Lippert tweeted, "Will be back ASAP to advance (U.S.-South Korea) alliance! Let’s go together," 80 stitches later.
President Park Geun-hye met with Lippert on Monday immediately after her return from a Middle East tour. She wished him a full recovery and talked about an incident in 2006 when she was slashed on the right side of her face during a rally in Seoul. She went through nearly three hours of surgery at, coincidentally, the same hospital where Lippert was hospitalized.
Lippert arrived in Korea in October, and his wife had a baby boy in January in Seoul. He gave his son a Korean middle name. This was the first time a U.S. envoy’s wife gave birth during a tour.
Lippert’s unfortunate incident with the activist has gained him support and popularity among many South Koreans.
THIS WEEK’S SYNOPSES
"Family is Coming"
Episodes 11 and 12
Sunday, 6:30 p.m.: Dong-seok gets very suspicious of Jun-hui, but she manages to convince him that she didn’t know Juna from the States. They also use Carl to help them. Dong-eun, Se-ho and Dal-su decide to go to the country to try to get their act together. Still suspicious, Dong-seok finds the business card Jun-hui gave to Keut-sun. The phone numbers don’t match, so he does some digging and finds some very perturbing facts about Jun-hui and Juna.
Sunday, 7:45 p.m.: Jeong-suk and Dong-ju are out of the competition. The third mission starts. Dal-su tries hard to get his life back together in the country, but old habits die hard. He comes across another con man and falls for another con. Dong-seok can’t shake off his suspicions about Juna. He keeps digging. He finds nothing until Juna decides to mess with Aunt Dal-ja’s money. She gives Dong-seok information on Juna and Jun-hui’s birth mother.
"Punch"
Episode 19 (final episode)
Monday, 7:45 p.m.: Ji-sook and Ho-sung lock Jung-hwan in an interrogation room to keep him away from Tae-joon. Jung-hwan hears Ha-gyung is in critical condition and collapses in the interrogation room. Ji-sook is sure of her victory and orders Tae-joon’s arrest.
Drama Special: "Seven Stars"
Tuesday, 7:45 p.m.: A group of criminals trying to stow away to China and a group of Chinese-Koreans who are trying to return home end up together on a ship.
"Hyde, Jekyll, Me"
Episodes 9 and 10
Wednesday, 7:45 p.m.: Ha-na introduces Robin to Tae-ju as Seo-jin’s twin brother. Tae-ju is confused since he knew Seo-jin never had a twin brother. Mr. Min is worried Robin and Hana are getting closer, and tells Robin he can’t keep a secret forever.
Thursday, 7:45 p.m.: Worried about Robin, Chairman Gu tries to send Seo-jin abroad, but Young-chan stops him, saying that Seo-jin will come back. Tae-ju lures Robin out to a remote place, threatening to kill Dr. Kang.
"My Heart Twinkle, Twinkle"
Episodes 9 and 10
Friday, 7:45 p.m.: Sung-ju apologizes to Soon-soo and tells her he recommended her for a pianist job at a hotel. Soon-jin comes back from her honeymoon. Soon-jin asks Soon-jung to move in with her to Woon-tak’s house.
Saturday, 7:45 p.m.: Mi-ja and Eun-bi are not thrilled when Soon-jung decides to move in. They get mad at Woon-tak for making the decision without checking with them. Geum-bi asks Gwan-mo to start a business together.
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Jeff Chung is general manager of KBFD TV, which televises Korean dramas with English subtitles. Reach him at 521-8066 or jeffchung@kbfd.com.
