Feb 12, 2022 - World

U.S. ambassador calls for justice after South Korean diplomat assaulted in NYC

Axios

The United Nations Headquarters building in Manhattan on Dec. 8. Photo: Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations expressed solidarity on Saturday with a South Korean diplomat assaulted in an unprovoked attack in New York City earlier in the week.

Details: The diplomat, whose name has been withheld by officials, worked for the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations. An unknown assailant punched the diplomat in the face on Wednesday evening in Midtown in what police told reporters was an “unprovoked” attack.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Driving the news: Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield wrote on Saturday that she and the U.S. Permanent Mission to the United Nations stand with the diplomat.

"We will support efforts to bring justice for this terrible crime, and to make our vibrant, diverse city safe and welcoming for the diplomatic community and everyone who calls New York home."

The big picture: Reports of hate crimes skyrocketed in 2021 in more than a dozen of America’s largest cities, with a record number of Asian Americans saying they were targeted, according to a study by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.

Go deeper: NYPD: Anti-Asian hate crimes in NYC jumped by 361% this year

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U.S. ambassador calls for justice after South Korean diplomat assaulted in NYC

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