(Screenshot: Embassy of Belgium in Seoul's Facebook)
Belgian Ambassador to South Korea Peter Lescouhier apologized Thursday over an assault incident involving his wife.
Police in Seoul have been looking into allegations that the ambassador's wife, Xiang Xueqiu, slapped an apparel store employee in the face and another on the back of the head early this month for accusing her of shoplifting.
"The Ambassador of Belgium sincerely regrets the incident involving his wife which happened on April 9th and wants to apologize on her behalf," the embassy said in a Facebook post.
It added that no matter the circumstances, "the way she reacted is unacceptable."
The embassy said the ambassador's wife suffered a stroke last week and has been hospitalized, but will assist the police investigation as soon as she recovers.
The apology came a day after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the embassy to cooperate with police and resolve the matter.
Xiang will most likely not be prosecuted as diplomats and their family members are granted immunity from the criminal jurisdiction of the host country's courts.
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