U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert has left the hospital on Tuesday, where he was treated for five days, following a knife attack by a South Korean activist.

The assault caused a big gash on Lippert's face, prompting doctors to perform a surgery on him right after the incident. Eighty stitches were removed from his face just before he headed back to the U.S. embassy from Severance Hospital.

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The knifing incident happened on March 5 or on Thursday last week as the 42-year-old envoy was on his way to conduct a lecture in central Seoul. After being discharged from the hospital, Lippert appeared on a televised press conference.

"I was deeply moved by the warm and generous sentiment from the American people," Lippert said. "I was also deeply moved by the outpouring of support from the South Koreans."

He also said the knife-wielding attack only reinforced his love for South Korea and the outpouring of affection from the public served as affirmation of the unbreakable ties between the U.S. and the Asian nation.

Lippert vows to continue his work that will further improve the United States-South Korean cooperation in the military, economic and diplomatic aspects.

Despite the injury he sustained from his attacker, he says, his "open and friendly" approach to diplomacy will remain. He notes, he was feeling "pretty darn good" after the incident which he described as "scary."

The South Korean police are now conducting an investigation into the case. Police say Lippert was attacked by an anti-U.S. activist who was screaming messages about Korean unification.

For now, Lippert prefers to keep his silence on whether or not he will need new security measures to protect himself from such attacks.

Lippert is loved by many South Koreans who see him regularly walking his basset hound around his compound in downtown Seoul.

His newborn baby carries a Korean middle name.

TagsU.S. envoy, Mark Lippert, U.S. ambassador, knife attack