S. Korean diplomat has nose broken in random attack in New York City

A South Korean diplomat in his fifties was beaten and had his nose broken on Wednesday on a street of New York City in a random attack which has drawn wide attention to the deterioration of public safety and persistent hate crime in the megacity.

The victim, who has not been named, was walking with a friend at 8:10 p.m. (0110 GMT) in Midtown Manhattan when the incident happened, according to media reports citing New York Police Department (NYPD).

The diplomat suffered a broken nose from an "unprovoked" attack while the unidentified attacker fled on foot without saying a word, local media reported.

"This unprovoked attack is horrific and absolutely unacceptable. In light of this horrific violence, we must not only condemn hate and discrimination, but prioritize public safety," said New York City Councilman Keith Powers on his social media account on Thursday.

"It is paramount that New Yorkers are safe on our city's streets," said Powers, who represents the neighborhood where the incident happened.

"We are outraged by this senseless and deplorable violence and look forward to a swift resolution of this unfortunate incident," said a report by the Hill, quoting Hyun-seung Choi, consul and press attache for the South Korean Consulate General in New York.

So far, no arrests have been made and the investigation into the incident is ongoing.

According to a survey released by Quinnipiac University Poll on Wednesday, 39 percent of voters in New York City said their neighborhood safety has deteriorated compared to five years ago.

As much as 74 percent of voters in New York City said crime is a very serious problem in the city, reaching the highest level since the topic was included in the Quinnipiac University Poll in 1999, according to the recent survey covering 1,343 New York City registered voters.

New York City saw a 38.5-percent year-on-year increase in the overall index of crimes in January, according to statistics issued by the NYPD in early February.

"Every major index crime category saw an increase for the month of January 2022, with the exception of murder, which fell by 15.2 percent," said NYPD in a release.