Tag: Belgium

You would think she would be keeping a very low profile after the fall out from her first altercation, but here we go again:

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.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but I can only imagine the phone call the Belgium ambassador must have received from his Foreign Ministry after this latest incident.

It seemed like with all the negative publicity it was only a matter of time before this happened:

Belgium will bring home its ambassador to South Korea amid public anger over his wife’s alleged assault of two employees at a shop in Seoul.

The Belgium Embassy said the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sophie Wilmès, decided it was in the best interest of bilateral relations to end Ambassador Peter Lescouhier’s tenure this summer.

He has been the envoy in Seoul for three years. The embassy didn’t provide a specific date on when Lescouhier’s term will end or name a replacement.

While Lescouhier served his country with dedication, “the current situation doesn’t allow him to further carry out his role in a serene way,” the embassy said on Monday.

Euronews via a reader tip

You can read more at the link, but her diplomatic immunity has also been partially waived. She can be investigated by the Korean police, but not tried or punishment.

Considering how authorities have been scouring Brussels for terror suspects ever since the Paris terror attacks you would think it would be hard for these guys to execute such attack.  Fortunately this US military family was not killed by this latest terror attack in Europe.  I hope they have a speedy recovery from their injuries:

A U.S. airman and his family were among the scores wounded in a series of bombings in Brussels Tuesday claimed by the Islamic State group that killed more than 30 people, prompting a temporary travel restriction to the country for all American forces, U.S. military officials said.

The airman, assigned to Joint Force Command Brunssum, Netherlands, was injured at Brussels’ international airport, the Air Force said in a statement. The Airman, who the Associated Press reported was a lieutenant colonel, “sustained various injuries,” the statement said.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read the rest at the link.