/ Source: TODAY
Ambassador Mark Lippert, the U.S. envoy slashed by a knife-wielding attacker in South Korea, says he feels incredibly lucky to have survived the attack.
"I feel really blessed,'' he said in an exclusive interview with TODAY's Savannah Guthrie on Wednesday. "I'm counting my lucky stars. I do feel like someone was watching over me. People tell me it was about two centimeters away from from my carotid artery, which would've been horrible, and again it missed all of the nerves in my face, and it missed my salivary gland, so I do feel very, very lucky to come through this the way I have."
More from Lippert:
- On the issue of security: "That's really a question for the State Department in Washington,'' Lippert said. "I know there's a review underway. I think that they're going to get to the bottom of it and take a hard look at all the tactics, techniques, procedures in place both here in Seoul and around the world."
- On any hesitation going out in public now: "Not at all,'' he said. "I feel very safe here in Seoul. When I walk the dog or go out with my wife, I pass literally dozens of police officers. The streets are safe, so I have no hesitation going forward to re-engage and continue my conversations and interactions with the people of Korea."
This article was originally published Mar. 11, 2015 at 7:54 a.m. ET.