The Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister was accused of sexual harassment during his visit to South Korea in September, allegedly harassing a female official from the South Korean Ministry of National Defense. The news has caused heated discussion. In response, the South Korean military stated it has summoned the Vietnamese embassy's military attaché in South Korea to lodge a protest.
On Tuesday (the 21st), South Korea's Ministry of National Defense told Agence France-Presse that it had taken 'appropriate action' regarding the incident.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Vietnam's Deputy Minister of National Defense, Hoang Xuan Chien, visited South Korea in September to attend the 2025 Seoul Security Dialogue. On the evening of the 11th of that month, he attended a dinner party, during which he reportedly became inappropriate and made advances on a female Ministry of National Defense official.
An official present revealed that the female official and Hoang Xuan Chien were not seated at the same table during the dinner. After the event, while Hoang Xuan Chien was mingling with others, he deliberately approached the female official and behaved inappropriately, both physically and verbally. It is understood that Hoang Xuan Chien left South Korea the day after the dinner, making a direct investigation impossible.
According to media reports, the details of the sexual harassment case have not been revealed, but based on the wording, it appears to be 'sexual harassment' rather than forcible molestation.
The South Korean Ministry of National Defense considers the incident to be serious and, eight days after it occurred, summoned the Vietnamese embassy’s military attaché in South Korea to protest. It also strongly condemned Hoang Xuan Chien's actions and demanded that the Vietnamese side take measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again. A relevant official from the Ministry of National Defense stated that necessary measures were taken according to protocol and, in line with the victim's wishes, details would not be made public.