Overview
- South Korea lodged a formal complaint on Sept. 19 after reports that Vietnam’s Deputy Defense Minister Hoang Xuan Chien inappropriately touched a South Korean official.
- Officials say the alleged incident occurred during a Sept. 11 dinner on the sidelines of the Seoul Defense Dialogue.
- Hoang had already left South Korea on Sept. 12, one week before the attache was called in by the ministry.
- The ministry requested preventive measures, and Vietnamese officials reportedly pledged to work to avoid a recurrence.
- This year’s Seoul Defense Dialogue, held Sept. 8–10, drew over 1,000 participants from 68 countries.