Dutch diplomat's husband drives into Korean over parking dispute

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By Lee Hae-rin

The husband of a Dutch diplomat to Korea is under investigation for allegedly hitting a Korean man with his car following a quarrel, police said Thursday.

According to the Yongsan Police Station, it is looking into the allegation that the diplomat's husband hit the Korean man in his 30s, while they were bickering over a parking issue near the Grand Hyatt Seoul around 1 p.m. Monday.

Police added that they have secured dashcam footage showing the diplomat's husband hitting the victim with the driver's side front fender, causing a minor injury.

The victim claimed the driver swore at him and made an insulting finger gesture at him, citing his diplomatic immunity.

The police plan to summon the man for questioning, an official at the Yongsan Police Station told The Korea Times.

This is not the first time a foreign diplomat's family member has been involved in a dispute with a Korean national. Previously in April, the former Belgian Ambassador Peter Lescouhier's wife was investigated for assaulting salespersons at a clothing shop in Seoul. She left the country in July.

Under the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, diplomats and their family members hold diplomatic immunity, meaning they are not usually subject to lawsuits or prosecution by local courts of the host country.

In an official statement, Wednesday, the Dutch Embassy in Korea said it was fully aware of the incident and planned to cooperate with the police investigation.