An elderly man stabbed himself in front of Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Friday, filing a complaint over the city’s redevelopment compensation amount.

The man, presumed to be in his 70s, approached Mayor Park at around 10 a.m. while the latter was delivering a speech at the city hall building.

The mayor was at the time speaking at the opening ceremony of an exhibition on Frank W. Schofield, a veterinary scientist who contributed to Korea‘s independence from Japan’s colonial rule in 1910-1945.

After shouting out “How can you call yourself a mayor?” the man stabbed himself in the abdomen with the weapon, according to city officials and witnesses.

He was immediately handed over to emergency services and taken to a nearby hospital. His stab wound was not fatal, officials said.

The man, identified by his surname Lee, is said to have been in conflict with the local government over redevelopment since 2015, as the actual compensation amount turned out much lower than expected.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)