A SOUTH Korean diplomat was beaten up while walking down a street in New York City on Wednesday, in a random attack that has drawn attention to the deterioration of public safety and persistent hate crime in the megacity.

The unnamed victim, in his 50s, was walking with a friend at 8.10pm (0110 GMT) in Midtown Manhattan when the incident occurred, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD).

He suffered a broken nose from an “unprovoked” attack, while the unidentified attacker fled on foot without saying a word, reported local media as quoted by Xinhua.

“This unprovoked attack is horrific and absolutely unacceptable. In light of this violence, we must not only condemn hate and discrimination, but prioritise public safety,” said NYC councilman Keith Powers yesterday.

“It is paramount that New Yorkers are safe on our city’s streets.

Powers, represents the neighbourhood where the attack 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 Choi Hyun-seung, consul and press attaché for the South Korean Consulate General in New York.

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

According to a Quinnipiac University Poll survey, 39% of NYC voters said their neighbourhood safety has deteriorated compared with five years ago.

As many as 74% of voters said crime is a very serious problem in the city – the highest since the topic was included in the poll in 1999.

NYC saw a 38.5% year-on-year increase in the overall index of crimes last month, according to statistics issued by the NYPD earlier this month.

“Every major crime category index saw an increase last month, with the exception of murder, which fell by 15.2%.” – Bernama, February 11, 2022.