Wife of Belgian ambassador to Seoul got into altercation with street sweeper: police

 The wife of the Belgian ambassador to South Korea, who faced assault charges in Seoul earlier this year, was involved in an altercation with a street sweeper in the city Monday morning, police said.

Police said Xiang Xueqiu, the spouse of Ambassador Peter Lescouhier, got into a fight with the cleaner in a park in central Seoul after the cleaner’s broom touched Xiang.

Police said the two apparently traded blows, but when officers arrived on the scene, neither wanted the other punished.

Xiang was taken to a nearby hospital after the cleaner shoved her to the ground. The cleaner later visited a police precinct to report that Xiang had slapped the sweeper in the face, and sought help on pressing charges.

This blurred surveillance footage, obtained by Yonhap News TV from the victim’s family on April 20, 2021, shows the scene of an incident in which Xiang Xueqiu, the wife of Belgian Ambassador to South Korea Peter Lescouhier, allegedly assaulted two employees at a local clothing store. (Yonhap)hide caption

Xiang had earlier been questioned by police over allegations that she slapped a clothing store employee in the face and another staff in the back of her head in early April. The assaults allegedly happened when the employees mistakenly suspected the wife of having stolen clothes from the store, because she was wearing an outfit similar to what they were selling.

Belgium partially waived diplomatic immunity for Xiang and ordered the couple home this summer.

Police dropped the assault case on June 23, citing the wife’s diplomatic immunity and the alleged victims’ request that she not be punished.