The South Korean government has summoned a ranking official from the Chinese Embassy here to warn against what is believed to be abuse of diplomatic immunity by Chinese diplomats here, an official at the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
The summons followed a highly publicized incident early last month in which a driver, carrying four passengers in a Chinese embassy vehicle, refused to take a breathalyzer test at a police checkpoint.
"The ministry summoned a councilor of the Chinese embassy on Dec. 22 and urged efforts to prevent a recurrence of such an incident," the ministry official said while speaking on condition of anonymity.
The driver and the other passengers locked themselves for eight hours in the vehicle, claiming diplomatic immunity without identifying themselves. They were allowed to drive off after an official from the Chinese embassy came to the scene and confirmed their diplomatic status.
The ministry official said Seoul has no intention to limit the privileges and immunity afforded to foreign diplomatic personnel, but that the diplomats still have the responsibility to abide by the country's laws.
"Driving a vehicle bearing a diplomatic license plate does not prove or guarantee their diplomatic status, thus they should have complied with police requests for identification," the official said.
Meanwhile, China's Foreign MInistry said in a daily briefing Thursday that the incident was "due to a misunderstanding between the two sides."
Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said the Chinese diplomat did not drive his car under the influence of alcohol or commit any traffic violations.
"The diplomat of the Chinese Embassy in South Korea was on his way home from his official duty when he was stopped by the Korean police," Liu said, stressing that there were no irregularities in his driving.
Seoul/Beijing, Jan. 4 (Yonhap News)
Seoul warns Chinese diplomats not to abuse diplomatic immunity |
