Two diplomats from the Pakistan Embassy in South Korea were caught shoplifting at a store in Seoul. As per a report in The Korea Times, the two Pakistan Embassy employees were caught stealing items worth 11,000 won ($10) and 1,900 won ($1.70) at a store in Itaewon of Yongsan, on different dates.
While one allegedly stole chocolate treats worth 1,900 won ($1.70) on January 10, the other stole a hat worth 11,000 won ($10) on February 23, the report added. After the hat was stolen, an employee at the store filed a police report shortly afterward, and the law enforcement authorities identified the suspect through CCTV footage as a 35-year-old diplomat of the Pakistan Embassy. Following an investigation, officers closed the case without booking the suspect because of diplomatic immunity. The other alleged shoplifter, who also holds diplomatic immunity, remains under investigation. Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, diplomats and their families may avoid arrest, detention or indictment under certain laws of their host country.
Pakistan Ambassador to South Korea Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, however, denied to Pakistani news portal ‘The Nation’ that they were diplomats. “Both are officials working in the embassy and are not diplomats,” she said. She also clarified that Pakistan embassy is cooperating with the local police as far as investigations are concerned.
