Belgian Embassy Pressed 'Funny' on Korean Mocking Comment... "Lacks Sincerity"

Apology statement posted by the Belgian Embassy on the 22nd. Photo by Belgian Embassy Facebook capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] As the Embassy of Belgium in Korea expressed regret on behalf of the ambassador's wife, who was booked on charges of assaulting a clothing store employee, controversy over the sincerity of the apology has erupted, fueling public outrage.

On the 22nd, the Embassy of Belgium in Korea posted a press release on its official social media service (SNS) stating, "The Belgian ambassador to Korea deeply regrets the incident involving his wife that occurred on April 9th and apologizes to the victim on her behalf. Her actions are unacceptable under any circumstances."

As of the 23rd, hundreds of comments questioning the embassy's handling of the incident and the sincerity of the apology have been posted under the statement.

Belgian Embassy clicked 'Funny' on Korean mocking comment. Photo by Online Community Capture

One netizen raised an issue with the embassy's positive reaction to a foreigner's mocking comment that called Koreans "racists."

The foreigner called Koreans "crybabies" and said, "It's amusing to see you racists crying because a Chinese person slapped your cheek," and the embassy reportedly clicked "Funny" on this comment.

The comment is presumed to have been deleted, but a screenshot remains.

Some also pointed out that the Korean apology posted by the embassy was not written in honorific language, which made it appear insincere.

Earlier, on the 9th, the ambassador's wife was booked by the police on charges of slapping an employee at a clothing store in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

According to the embassy's press release, "The ambassador confirms that his wife will undergo police investigation as soon as possible," but "she has been hospitalized since last week due to a stroke and is currently unable to participate in the police investigation."

They added, "We hope that the ambassador's wife recovers her health quickly and cooperates with the police investigation so that this unfortunate matter can be resolved."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.