By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
A South Korean man was ordered to serve 12 years in prison Friday for trying to murder Seoul-based U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert earlier this year -- but Kim Ki-jong was cleared of doing so in support of North Korea.
The 55-year-old received his sentence at Seoul Central District Court, months after inflicting knife wounds on Lippert at a breakfast event in Seoul on March 5.
The ambassador needed more than 80 stitches to his face and arm, but he is still posted in South Korea.
Although Kim was also found guilty of violence against a foreign envoy and business obstruction, prosecutors were unable to prove that he had broken the South's National Security Law banning pro-North Korean activities.
The allegation had been fueled by Kim's opposition to joint military drills involving South Korea and the U.S., which have also been regularly condemned by Pyongyang.
"While some of the defendant's arguments coincide with that of the North, such as opposing the military exercises, they are ideas that have been often claimed by academic circles and civic groups in the country," Judge Kim Dong-ah said as part of the ruling.
Materials related to North Korea found at the assailant's home were also justified on the basis of reunification studies, according to the court.
Nevertheless, the prosecution swiftly announced that it would appeal against the decision to acquit Kim of breaking the National Security Law.
The Koreas have maintained an uneasy truce since they were at war in the 1950s.
