Kim Ki-Jong, the man accused of stabbing U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert in South Korea last month, was charged with attempted murder Wednesday, an official with the Seoul Central District Court said.
Kim has also been charged with assaulting a foreign envoy and business obstruction.
According to South Korean law, the trial must begin within 14 days of receiving today’s indictment.
Authorities have said Kim opposed joint South Korean-U.S. military drills and slashed Lippert’s face and arm as the ambassador was about to give a speech.
A police official, Yoon Myeong-seong, told reporters that Kim had previously visited North Korea seven times between 1999 and 2007, and that authorities were “intensively investigating” a possible connection between his visits to the reclusive state and this attack.