SEOUL: The wife of Belgium’s ambassador to South Korea will exercise her diplomatic immunity to avoid criminal charges on accusations she hit two boutique staff in the head in a row over shoplifting, police said Monday. South Korea is a signatory to the Vienna Convention, which gives accredited diplomats and their families immunity from criminal prosecution. Reports say the envoy’s wife tried on clothes in a Seoul store before walking out, prompting an assistant to run after her to ask about an item she was wearing and triggering the confrontation. Public anger heightened in response to the use of diplomatic immunity, with more than 1,000 largely negative comments posted on one online report. “I understand diplomats are given immunity but why are their families given such rights too?” asked one poster on Naver, the country’s largest portal.

Source: Manila Times May 17, 2021 08:03 UTC