Chinese-born Xiang Suetzi, wife of Belgian ambassador to Seoul Peter Lecourier, was not punished for her act
The Belgian ambassador to South Korea , who, despite slapping a shop assistant in Seoul last month , was not punished for her act, fell into the trap .
She cited the privilege of first-degree relatives of diplomats to avoid prosecution for… handcuffing, according to CNN .
The incident happened on April 9 when Xiang Sweichi , a Chinese-born Belgian ambassador to Seoul’s Peter Lekurie , visited a Korean clothing store.
Xiang is pictured on a CCTV camera looking and trying on some clothes in the store and then leaving without buying anything. However, an employee, on the orders of her boss, chased her, accusing her of stealing some clothes.
On the way, he snatched the collar from Xiang’s coat to see the label, and when he realized his mistake, he tried to apologize in English.
But the Belgian ambassador’s wife reportedly said to her: “Do you know who I am?” in Chinese and followed the saleswoman back to the store to express her protest to her boss.
In the store, the two ladies could not communicate if they tried to find some edge in broken English.
However, the ambassador’s wife went overboard and slapped the Korean woman. In fact, the employee’s cheek was swollen, comments CNN.
And when the police arrived, the Belgian ambassador’s wife invoked her husband’s diplomatic immunity .
Unfortunately for the 63-year-old Chinese Xiang, the incident was recorded by the closed-circuit cameras of the store, with the Korean saleswoman publishing relevant shots that went around the world.
“I wanted no one else to experience what I went through, that’s why I wanted them to be published,” said the seller on condition of anonymity.
After 13 days, the Belgian ambassador apologized on behalf of his wife.
The public apology came only after the intervention of the Korean Foreign Ministry, which called the Belgian deputy ambassador for explanations .
