South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday indicted a man who slashed the U.S. ambassador in Seoul last month on charges of attempted murder . Kim Ki-jong , 55 , was also indicted Wednesday on charges of assaulting a foreign envoy and obstruction , according to an official at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors ' Office , who did not want to be named , citing department rules . On Monday , the recovering diplomat , Mark Lippert , was pictured out on the streets of Seoul flanked by five bodyguards . His left hand is still in a cast from the attack . South Korean law requires the trial to start within 14 days , and there is a possibility that it could start as early as next week , according to an official at the Seoul Central District Court , who did n't want to be named , citing office rules . He said it was too early to comment on the potential penalties Kim could face . US Ambassador Mark Lippert was pictured with five bodyguards on Wednesday , following the attack that left his arm in a cast . Lippert required 80 stitches to close up the wounds on his hand , arm and face that he sustained from the anti-US activist . Victim : U.S . Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert , pictured on March 10 , was allegedly slashed by Kim KI-jong at a breakfast forum on March 5 . Charged : South Korean maverick political activist Kim Ki-Jong , who faces possible attempted murder charges after slashing US Ambassador Mark Lippert , as he leaves a police station for a court in Seoul on March 6 . Alleged attacker : Kim Ki-jong is pictured being arrested at the site where U.S . Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert was attacked on March 5 , 2015 in Seoul , South Korea . Prosecutors have also been investigating whether Kim violated a controversial law that bans praise or assistance for North Korea . The court official said it was possible prosecutors may add such charges against Kim during the trial . Police say Kim attacked Ambassador Mark Lippert with a knife during a breakfast forum on March 5 . He suffered deep gashes on his face and arm and was treated at a Seoul hospital for five days . Lippert , 42 , was bleeding from deep wounds to his face and wrist but was able to walk after the attack . Doctors said later his condition was stable after 'very successful ' surgery that required 80 stitches in his face as the White House expressed optimism for his quick return to his duties . Police say Kim chose Lippert as a target to highlight his opposition to ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills . North Korea has angrily reacted to the drills , calling them an invasion rehearsal . Anti-U.S. activists such as Kim have long blamed the presence of 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in the South as a deterrent to the North for the continuing split of the Korean Peninsula . In 2010 , Kim tried to attack the Japanese ambassador to South Korea by throwing a piece of concrete and was given a suspended jail term , according to police . After the attack : Kim Ki-jong during his arrest after he allegedly attacked Ambassador Lippert with a razor blade to protest the presence of 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea . Watchdog Organization : Kim ji-Jong reportedly identified himself as a representative for a watchdog organization of the disputed island Dokdo/Takeshima and was arrested immediately on site .
Kim Ki-jong , 55 , was indicted on charges of attempted murder for allegedly slashing U.S. . Ambassador Mark Lippert with a razor at a breakfast forum . Prosecutors have also been investigating whether Kim violated a controversial law that bans praise or assistance for North Korea . Activist Kim blames the presence of 28,500 U.S troops in the South as a deterrent to the North for the continuing split of the Korean Peninsula .