Following the incident involving the spouse of the Ambassador of Belgium, the FPS Foreign Affairs confirms that Mrs. Xiang Xueqiu took the initiative to meet privately with the two store employees in order to apologize in person for her unacceptable behavior in the store.
Due to her hospitalization, the meeting could not take place sooner.
Regarding the police investigation, the FPS Foreign Affairs can confirm that the spouse of the Ambassador went to the police as soon as her health condition allowed it. Her full cooperation with the police has been guaranteed. To this end, her diplomatic immunity was waived by the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, based on the request of the police. Belgium will of course continue to cooperate with the Korean authorities as needed.
Mr. Peter Lescouhier has served as Ambassador of Belgium to the Republic of Korea with dedication for the past three years. During his time, he contributed to a very successful State visit in March 2019. It has however become clear that the current situation doesn’t allow him to further carry out his role in a serene way. Now that Mrs. Xiang Xueqiu has personally presented her excuses and cooperated with the police, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmès has decided that it is in the best interest of our bilateral relations to end Ambassador Lescouhier’s tenure in the Republic of Korea this summer.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmès and the FPS Foreign Affair take this opportunity to underline the long history of friendship, resulting in strong political and economic ties between Belgium and the Republic of Korea. This year, our countries are celebrating 120 years of diplomatic relations. https://koreabelgium120.com
