Belgian ambassador loses South Korea posting after wife slaps worker

Belgium is ending the posting of its ambassador to South Korea after his wife assaulted a woman in Seoul.

CCTV footage of the incident shows Peter Lescouhier's wife, Xiang Xueqiu, slapping a shop assistant in April.

Staff had wanted to check the clothes she was leaving in were her own, amid concern she might be shoplifting.

Mrs Xiang later met the shop employee to apologise for her "unacceptable behaviour", the Belgian foreign ministry said.

But Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes decided to end Mr Lescouhier's posting this summer after three years in the role.

While Mr Lescouhier had served his country with dedication, "the current situation" did not "allow him to further carry out his role in a serene way", the embassy said in a Facebook post.