U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert on Tuesday hosted a reception to thank Koreans who helped him during the knife attack by a radical activist in March.

The ambassador planned the evening event to show his gratitude to Koreans who supported him during the incident, news reports said. A total of about 100 people, mostly police officers and medical staff, were invited. They played a role in rushing the injured ambassador to the hospital for treating the knife-attack injuries that left him with an 11-centimeter-long gash on his chin.

The event was Lippert’s latest move to reach out to Koreans ― who showed their support and sent him many encouraging messages ― following the incident.

Reports said the ambassador sent a video message on April 10 to the hospital where he underwent surgery. He was quoted as saying that he sincerely appreciates the medical crew’s dedicated service.

He also sent a letter to the police officer who took him to a nearby hospital minutes after the attack on March 13. “Thank you for getting me to the hospital so quickly. Time was an important factor and your actions were outstanding,” he wrote.

Lippert also took to social media to engage with Koreans.

Pictures with Korean firefighters and Korean food along with pleasant messages have been filling his Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Experts view the ambassador’s move reflects the U.S. government’s efforts to focus on public diplomacy to influence public opinion by communicating with citizens.

“The ambassador has done a great job so far,” said Lee Geun, a professor of International Politics at Graduate School of International Studies, Seoul National University.

“The U.S. has been putting emphasis on defusing anti-American sentiment in recent years. In that regard, the ambassador’s latest move is commendable,” said Lee. 

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)