South Korean diplomat hurt during unprovoked attack in NYC, police say

Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A 52-year-old South Korean diplomat is recovering on Thursday after authorities in New York City said he was attacked by an assailant in Manhattan late on Wednesday.

The New York City Police Department said that the diplomat was walking near Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan when he was punched in the face. He was taken to a Brooklyn hospital with a broken nose.

The attacker immediately fled and authorities are trying to determine his identity. Police said the attack was unprovoked.

For the moment, police said the assault is not being investigated as a hate crime, WABC-TV reported. Authorities did not initially identify the diplomat.

Attacks in the United States against Asian visitors and Asian Americans have dramatically increased over the past two years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which originated in China in late 2019.

The watchdog group Stop AAPI Hate said last year that attacks in the United States against Asians and Pacific Islanders grew substantially in 2021. A 61-year-old immigrant from China, who was assaulted in New York City almost a year ago, spent several months in the hospital before he died in December.