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| The photo on the right shows the swollen face of a clothing shop employee who was allegedly hit by the wife of Belgian Ambassador to Korea Peter Lescouhier, and the left photo shows a blurred view of the scene of the incident. Yonhap |
By Bahk Eun-ji
The wife of Belgian Ambassador to Korea Peter Lescouhier is likely to avoid punishment over her alleged assault of a clothing shop employee, because she has decided to maintain her diplomatic immunity, according to police, Sunday.
Officers of Yongsan Police Station said they sent an official query to the embassy asking whether the wife of Ambassador Lescouhier, named in multiple media reports as Xiang Xueqiu, intends to maintain her diplomatic immunity, which allows diplomats and their family members to avoid arrest, detention or indictment in a host country.
The embassy sent a letter informing police of her intention to maintain diplomatic immunity, Yongsan police confirmed on Friday.
As the decision makes it impossible for her to be tried here, police said that they will close the case instead of sending it to the prosecution.
Police have been looking into the case since the incident occurred on April 9 when she visited a clothing shop in Seoul. As she left, the worker came after her to ask if she paid for the apparel she was wearing at the moment, because it was the same item the shop was selling.
Xiang then came back into the store and pulled the employee's arm and hit her in the head. She also slapped another worker in the face who tried to stop her, according to surveillance camera footage.
The case received nationwide attention through media reports, and the ambassador's wife faced mounting criticism for her assault. The Belgian Embassy in Seoul released a statement on April 22 saying, "The Ambassador of Belgium sincerely regrets the incident involving his wife which happened on April 9 and wants to apologize on her behalf."
Xiang did not immediately respond to the police request for questioning, with the embassy saying she had been hospitalized for a stroke. On May 6, she appeared at the Yongsan Police Station and was questioned.
