Belgian Ambassador's Wife Slaps Clerk, Claims Diplomatic Immunity

The wife of Belgian ambassador Peter Lescouhier has sparked a furor by slapping a Korean store clerk, then escaping charges by claiming diplomatic immunity. Xiang Xueqiu says she’d like to apologize in person for the altercation, but a widely-shared video of the incident has already prompted outrage from those who see Xiang as abusing the privilege of her position.

The encounter occurred on April 9, when the 63-year-old Xiang was clothes shopping in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

After about an hour of trying on clothes, she left the store. A clerk suspected her of potentially shoplifting and tried to check the jacket she was wearing outside of the store.

The clerk told CNN she couldn’t understand what Xiang was saying and sought to check the label. When she saw that the jacket had not been stolen, she apologized in English and returned to the store, but Xiang followed her, berating her as a shopkeeper tried to intervene.

During the ensuing argument, Xiang can be seen shoving an employee and slapping the shopkeeper. CCTV footage of the incident, as well as pictures of the red welt and swollen eye of the slapped worker, sparked outrage online.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police said afterward that Xiang had made use of her diplomatic immunity and would not be prosecuted. Under the Vienna Convention, diplomats are not subject to criminal prosecution from the states they work in.

The employee who checked Xiang’s jacket told CNN the victim suffered ringing in her ears and “mental anguish.”

"We can understand her anger but that does not justify her violent behavior," the employee said. "We're not sure if we'll be able to get a genuine apology through reporting this incident but this could happen to other employees in the service industry. In a hope to prevent any future recurrences, by someone who abuses one's power, we're providing this footage."

The Belgian ambassador published an apology video shortly after the incident, saying that his wife was “cooperating actively with police.” He said Xiang “sincerely regrets it and she wants to offer her apologies in person to the shopkeeper when she gets the opportunity to do so.”

Diplomatic immunity has been the subject of increased scrutiny after Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a U.S. diplomat, killed an English teenager in a car accident. She fled the country and cited diplomatic immunity to avoid extradition and prosecution.