Belgium is ending the posting of its ambassador to South Korea after his wife assaulted a woman in Seoul.
CCTV footage of the incident shows Peter Lescouhier’s wife, Xiang Xueqiu, slapping a shop assistant in April this year
The incident took place on 9 April this year at a clothing shop in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
Ms. Xiang, 63, had spent around an hour trying on clothes before she left, South Korean media report.
A member of staff followed her as she left the shop to make sure the clothes she wore – originally from the same shop – were not newly acquired and not paid for.
The ambassador’s wife then followed the employee back into the shop and, in a confrontation caught on CCTV, pushed and slapped another staff member who had tried to intervene.
Police questioned Ms. Xiang on 6 May.
The development however prompted Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes to end Mr. Lescouhier’s posting this summer after three years in the role.
In April, Mr. Lescouhier apologized for his wife’s “unacceptable” behavior, the Belgian foreign ministry said.
While Mr. Lescouhier had served his country with dedication, “the current situation” did not “allow him to further carry out his role in a serene way”, the embassy said in a Facebook post.
