Seoul , South Korea ( CNN ) The man accused of stabbing U.S . Ambassador Mark Lippert in Seoul last month is now charged with attempted murder , a South Korean court official said Wednesday . Kim Ki-Jong has also been charged with assaulting a foreign envoy and business obstruction , the Seoul Central District Court official said . According to South Korean law , Kim 's trial must begin within 14 days of receiving today 's indictment . Lippert was stabbed March 5 during an event organized by the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation , which advocates peaceful reunification between North and South Korea . Shortly before Lippert was supposed to give a speech , the attacker slashed him in the face and jaw . The ambassador suffered a gash from his right cheekbone to his lower jaw that required 80 stitches . That wound measured 10 centimeters ( 4 inches ) long and 2.5 centimeters ( 1 inch ) deep , but there was no serious facial nerve damage , said Dr. Jung Nam-shik of the Yonsei Severance Hospital . Lippert also suffered five cuts in his left arm and hand , but was not expected to have permanent damage to his arm function . Police said Kim stabbed Lippert with a 10-inch knife because he opposed the joint South Korean-U.S. military drills , which happen every year and frequently draw the ire of North Korea . Police official Yoon Myeong-seong told reporters that Kim had visited North Korea seven times between 1999 and 2007 , and that authorities were investigating a possible connection between his visits to the reclusive state and the attack against Lippert . Kim , 55 , has a history of unpredictable behavior . In 2010 , he received a suspended two-year prison sentence for throwing a piece of concrete at a Japanese ambassador to South Korea , according to the Yonhap news agency . South Korean President Park Geun-hye condemned the attack . `` This incident is not only a physical attack on the U.S. ambassador , '' she said , `` but an attack on the South Korea-U.S. alliance and it can never be tolerated . '' CNN 's Madison Park and Greg Botelho contributed to this report .
Kim Ki-Jong is charged with attempted murder and assaulting a foreign envoy . He 's accused of stabbing U.S . Ambassador Mark Lippert in the face and arm . The attack happened at an upscale restaurant on April 26, when he was reportedly drunk after attending a party hosted by his sister.