Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is smoothly recovering following surgery to repair a major vein in his neck after he was stabbed in a knife attack earlier this week, a surgeon who operated on the politician said Thursday. Lee, the chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), was attacked by a 67-year-old man, surnamed Kim, who posed as an autograph seeker Tuesday morning during Lee's public event in the southeastern city of Busan. "Lee is recovering smoothly but requires continued observation due to concerns over additional infection and post-surgery complications due to the injury he suffered," Min Seung-kee from Seoul National University Hospital told a news press briefing. The professor, who is in the hospital's vascular surgery unit, mentioned that Lee had a wound about 1.4 centimeters in length but was fortunate not to suffer any damage to the artery, surrounding cerebral nerve or airway. Min also said it is customary for the patient to stay in the intensive care unit first, as vein recons truction can lead to more bleeding or other complications, such as blood clots. Lee is now in a general ward. Earlier, police revealed that Kim had confessed to intending to kill Lee and that he had plotted his attack alone. However, his motive remains unknown. A district in Busan held a hearing Thursday to determine whether to formally arrest Kim on charges of attempted murder. A decision on whether to approve his detention is expected to come late Thursday night or early Friday. When asked about his motive by reporters before attending the hearing, Kim said that he had submitted an eight-page note explaining his reasons to the police. Source: Yonhap News Agency