North Korea threatens U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert with ‘something far worse’ than knife attack

North Korea’s propaganda arm threatened U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert on Monday with “something far worse” than the knife attack that sent him to the hospital on March 4.

Activist Kim Ki-jong, 55, slashed Mr. Lippert’s face and arm with a 10-inch knife while shouting “No to war training!” on March 4. On Monday, North Korea told the still-recovering ambassador that he needs to “watch himself in the future” or else he “may have to deal with something far worse,” CNN reported. Mr. Lippert suffered a 4-inch wound that was 1-inch deep and required 80 stitches.

The station reported that the only thing the ambassador said that might prompt a response from North Korea was to advise its leaders to take steps to dismantle its nuclear program.

“When [Kim Jong-un’s] press statements come out threatening the life of an American ambassador, he looks like the head of the mafia,” said Patrick Cronin of the Center for A New American Security, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., CNN reported. Mr. Cronin is the senior adviser and senior director of the center’s Asia-Pacific security program.

Christopher Hill, a former ambassador to Seoul, told the network that the “real danger” was that North Korea’s statements could inspire a lone wolf attack by someone who “feels as if he’s acting on some kind of overall instruction.”

The State Department said that the ambassador’s security detail would not change from its elevated posture and that North Korea’s rhetoric was nothing new, CNN reported.