South Korean police said Wednesday they wanted to interrogate the wife of Belgian Ambassador Peter Lescouhier after receiving a report of an alleged assault on a staff member at a clothing store.
Images from a security camera showed a woman slapping a shopkeeper who tried to stop her from approaching a colleague. The companion had suspected he was trying to leave the store with a piece of clothing he had not paid for.
The video of the April 9 incident appeared this week on social media, prompting a furious response from some South Koreans who apologized to the Belgian embassy.
The images also appeared to show Xiang Xueqiu talking to two police officers at the scene. Since then, police have been unable to contact her, saying it was because Xiang was in the hospital.
Reuters could not identify which hospital and could not contact her immediately to comment on the alleged incident.
“The police who were sent to the scene identified her as the wife of the Belgian ambassador,” a police officer said at a police station in Yongsan, an area of the capital where the embassy and police station are located. shop.
“We have sought her assistance, but as you see in the local media, you cannot contact her since she is in hospital.”
South Korea’s foreign ministry told Reuters it had urged the Belgian embassy to cooperate on the matter and would take appropriate action based on a subsequent police investigation.
The Belgian embassy in Seoul confirmed that Xiang had been hospitalized, but made no comment. A spokeswoman for the Belgian Foreign Ministry declined to comment.
Some South Koreans expressed frustration at what they said were unfair privileges for diplomats and their families.
“I think diplomatic immunity is important and should be respected, but given the incident involves the ambassador’s family … the ambassador should apologize officially,” said Lee Hyun-koo, of 32, Reuters.
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