A male Honduran diplomat in South Korea has been booked without detention for allegedly groping and assaulting another man on the subway, police said Monday.
The suspect is accused of leaning his body toward the victim and touching him without consent on a Busan Metro Line No. 2 train around 6:30 a.m. on June 19.
A quarrel broke out after the victim took issue with the suspect’s physical contact. The suspect, who was heavily drunk at the time, assaulted the victim after they exited the train, according to officials from the Haeundae Police Station in Busan. Surveillance cameras inside the train recorded the alleged assault.
The suspect works at the Honduran Embassy in Seoul and was visiting Busan on a business trip. Police have sent a formal inquiry to the embassy to determine whether the suspect intends to claim diplomatic immunity, but have not yet received a reply.
Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, foreign diplomats are granted full immunity from criminal prosecution in the host country. However, if the sending state waives this immunity, local authorities may proceed with legal action, including investigation, prosecution and trial.
Even if the immunity is not waived, the Korean government can still designate the diplomat as persona non grata, a term meaning an unwelcome person, and expel them from the country.
cjh@heraldcorp.com
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