How Safe Are U.S. Diplomats?

Published March 6, 2015 at 11:52 AM CST

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In this handout image provided by The Asia Economy Daily newspaper, the man identified as Kim Ki-jong is being arrested at the site where U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert was attacked on March 5, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea. Ambassador Lippert was attacked with a razor blade by a man at a venue where he was going to give a lecture. The attacker reportedly identified himself as a representative for a watchdog organization of the disputed island Dokdo/Takeshima. (The Asia Economy Daily via Getty Images)

Police in South Korea are continuing their investigation of the anti-U.S. activist they say slashed Mark Lippert, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea. A major focus of that investigation is security and whether mistakes were made that could have prevented the attack.

It’s not confirmed how many guards Lippert had with him when he was attacked at a downtown venue in Seoul, but the number of guards is believed to be small, with no requested assistance from South Korean police.

Here & Now’s Robin Young spoke with Christopher Hill, former ambassador to four countries, including South Korea, about U.S. security for diplomats abroad.

Guest

Christopher Hill, dean of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. He has served as ambassador to Iraq, Poland, Macedonia and South Korea. He tweets @ambchrishill.

How Safe Are U.S. Diplomats?

Guest

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