Belgium urgently recalls envoy in Seoul after wife’s second fight

The ambassador’s wife reportedly hit a street cleaner with his broom because it accidentally touched her

Sophie Wilmes had to call the Belgium’s ambassador to South Korea back the second time in four months (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Belgium government has decided to call the country ambassador to Seoul back “without further delay” as the news of his wife’s fights hit headlines in the country once again.

Ambassador Peter Lescouhie is being called back by the country’s foreign minister Sophie Wilmes for the second time in four months due to his wife’s clashes with locals.

South Korea’s news agency Yonhap has reported citing the police that Ms Lescouhie’s wife Xiang Xueqiu had an altercation with a 65-year-old street cleaner on Monday, a second such incident, after the cleaner’s brush allegedly touched her.

She reportedly hit the man with his own broom, according to Belgian newspaper De Morgen, following which the cleaner pushed her to the ground. Ms Xueqiu hurt her back after the incident and was taken to the hospital.

Before this, the ambassador was first called back in May after CCTV footage showed Ms Xueqiu slapping a saleswoman in an incident that became a national controversy in South Korea. Charges couldn’t be brought against Ms Xueqiu because of her diplomatic immunity.

However, while calling the ambassador back in the interest of the relations between two nations, the foreign minister also waived diplomatic immunity for Ms Xueqiu so she could be prosecuted in South Korea according to the local law. No charges were eventually pressed.

Even in the second case, Yonhap reported neither Ms Xueqiu nor the cleaner wanted to take the matter further legally.

On the latest incident, the Belgian foreign ministry told Politico in a statement that the circumstances of the incident “remain unclear.”

But since it's the second such incident, Ms Wilmès has said the ambassador should “return to Belgium without further delay.” She cited the “responsibility of an ambassador to the host country and given our desire to maintain excellent relations with the Republic of Korea,” Politico reported.