Wife of Belgian ambassador to avoid assault charges due to diplomatic immunity

SEOUL, May 16 (Yonhap) -- Having been probed over assault allegations, the wife of Belgian Ambassador to South Korea Peter Lescouhier will avoid assault charges due to diplomatic immunity.

The spouse faced police questioning on May 6 over allegations that she slapped a clothing store employee in the face and another staff in the back of her head early last month.

Yongsan Police Station in central Seoul, which has been investigating the case, said Sunday that the ambassador's wife said she would exercise her diplomatic immunity.

Following the incident, captured on the surveillance camera at the shop, the wife was hospitalized with a stroke and was discharged on April 23. Amb. Lescouhier said she would cooperate with the police investigation.

However, she has decided not to waive her immunity under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which ties the hands of South Korean authorities.

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