Peter Gaston Marcella Lescouhier (born 29 March 1961) is a Belgian diplomat. He was Ambassador of Belgium to South Korea, concurrently accredited to North Korea, from 2018 until 2021, and Ambassador to Lithuania from 2012 until 2015.
His ambassadorship in South Korea was ended early by order of the Belgian government following two altercations involving his wife.
Early life and education
Lescouhier was born in Bruges on 29 March 1961. He received a master's degree at Ghent University in oriental philology in 1983. He went on to study modern Chinese language at Nanjing University and modern Chinese history at Fudan University in Shanghai between 1984 and 1986.
Diplomatic career
Lescouhier served in Beijing from 1991 to 1997, as second secretary for press and cultural affairs and then first secretary for economic affairs, before becoming deputy head of mission in Manila from 1997 to 2000 and head of the Belgian liaison office in Pristina, Kosovo, from 2000 to 2002.
He was posted to the Belgian permanent representation to the European Union from 2002 to 2006, where he was appointed first secretary in 2003. He was appointed counsellor at the Belgian embassy to Hungary in 2009.
Ambassador to Lithuania
By royal decree of 15 August 2012, Lescouhier was accredited as Ambassador and Consul-General of Belgium to Lithuania, resident in Vilnius, presenting his credentials to President Dalia Grybauskaitė later that year.
He was the last Belgian ambassador resident in Vilnius prior to the closure of the embassy in 2015.
He was relieved of the post by royal decree of 26 May 2015 and headed the North-East Asia division in Brussels from 2015 to 2018.
Ambassador to the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Lescouhier was appointed Ambassador to the Republic of Korea in 2018, with concurrent accreditation to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
He presented his credentials to President Moon Jae-in on 25 July 2018. During his tenure Belgium and South Korea marked the state visit of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde in March 2019, the first by a Belgian monarch in 27 years.
Recall from the Republic of Korea
April 2021 incident and waiver of immunity
On 9 April 2021, Lescouhier's wife, Xiang Xueqiu, was involved in an altercation with two employees of a clothing shop in Seoul after a member of staff followed her out of the store suspecting her of shoplifting. Security-camera footage recorded in the shop's office showed a woman pushing two employees and slapping one of them in the face.
Xiang initially indicated that she would invoke diplomatic immunity to avoid potential charges. The Belgian foreign ministry subsequently waived her immunity at the request of the South Korean police.
Termination of the posting
On 28 May 2021 the Belgian Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs announced that Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmès had decided to end Lescouhier's tenure in Seoul that summer.
The statement said that he had served "with dedication for the past three years" and had contributed to the successful 2019 state visit, but that "it has however become clear that the current situation doesn't allow him to further carry out his role in a serene way", and that ending the posting was in the best interest of bilateral relations.
A second altercation followed on 5 July 2021, when, according to Yongsan District police, Xiang came into conflict with a municipal cleaner in a park in the Hannam neighbourhood of Seoul after his brush touched her.
Aftermath
Lescouhier and his wife left South Korea on 9 July 2021. No charges were brought in either case: police closed the April investigation on the grounds of diplomatic immunity and because the complainants did not wish to see her punished, and the July case was closed after the parties settled.
By royal decree of 17 October 2021, Lescouhier was discharged from the ambassadorship to both Korean states and from the associated consul-general functions, and was attached to the central administration of the foreign ministry from the day after his arrival in Belgium.
He was succeeded in Seoul by François Bontemps, accredited by royal decree of 2 September 2021.
Personal life
Lescouhier is married to Xiang Xueqiu and has one daughter.
References
External links Embassy of Belgium in Seoul