Joori Roh and Trevor Hunnicutt

SEOUL (Reuters) – Two U.S. Secret Service agents were sent home by officials after being accused of assaulting a South Korean during Joe Biden’s Asia trip.

A Yongsan police officer said that one agent was taken into custody in the wee hours of Thursday morning after he got into a dispute over a taxi.

The U.S. official refuted the claim that the man was held or arrested and said only that South Korean officials had “investigated”. Official said that the South Korean officials were not investigating the wrongdoing of the agent who was involved in the dispute.

Anthony Guglielmi spoke on behalf of the Secret Service, saying that they are aware of an incident off duty involving two Secret Service employees. This could be a violation to policy.

“The individual will be promptly returned to duty and put on administrative leave. It had no effect on the next trip.

Biden had just arrived in Seoul on Friday evening and was due to spend the night at Grand Hyatt Hotel. Biden arrived Seoul on Friday evening.

South Korean police officers did not reveal the identity or any other details about the suspect.

The Secret Service of the United States is an agency which protects the White House and President. In the past, Secret Service personnel have been implicated in misbehaviour abroad.

One hundred and eleven Secret Service agents, who were involved in disputes with prostitutes during a 2012 visit to the United States by President Barack Obama, were returned from Colombia.

TV Chosun in South Korea, which first reported on the event in Seoul, stated that the suspect was aged in the 30s. He was then arrested by a guest of the hotel.