The Belgian ambassador’s wife in South Korea was suspected of slapping a sales clerk at a clothing store in April and was investigated by the police. The company’s main business is to provide a wide range of products and services to the public.
The Belgian ambassador to Korea’s wife was at a clothing store in Yongsan district in early April, and was angry and slapped the shopkeeper because she was unhappy about being misunderstood as a shoplifter. The embassy therefore apologized on Facebook, and the South Korean Foreign Ministry also publicly called on the ambassador’s wife to actively cooperate with the investigation.
However, the Yonhap News Agency reported that the Yongsan Police Department said on the 16th that the Belgian ambassador had confirmed on the 14th that he would not waive his immunity in this case, which means it would be difficult to prosecute and punish the ambassador’s wife. The police are expected to follow the general procedure and not refer the case to the prosecution.
International diplomatic immunity is granted to diplomatic representatives to facilitate the performance of their duties. According to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, diplomatic representatives and their spouses, minor children and other limited dependents are applicable, including immunity from criminal proceedings in the country of residence.
The Belgian ambassador to Korea said earlier that his wife was unable to cooperate with the police investigation due to her hospitalization. After the ambassador’s wife was released from the hospital on April 23, the ambassador told the Korean side that she would cooperate with the police investigation. However, the news that the ambassador’s wife had determined that she would not waive her diplomatic immunity and would be exempt from criminal liability sparked discontent among the South Korean public.
This is not the first time that a diplomat has been exempted from criminal liability for a private dispute in Korea by virtue of immunity. The Korea Herald reported that the immunity of Sudanese diplomats in South Korea, including the escape of a taxi after a chase in Gangnam, Seoul, in March this year, and the drunk driving of a diplomat in Luanda last year, have led to a growing discontent among the Korean people, who questioned the reasonableness of applying immunity to cases that occurred while not on official duty.
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