During last month’s international security forum, ‘Seoul Defense Dialogue,’ held in Seoul, it was belatedly discovered that a Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Defense sexually harassed a female official from the South Korean Ministry of National Defense. Although the Ministry of National Defense lodged an official protest with the Vietnamese side after the incident, it is reported that no direct investigation was conducted as the individual in question had already left the country.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, the incident occurred on the final day of the forum, the 11th of last month, during a dinner. The Vietnamese deputy minister, who visited Korea as part of the delegation, reportedly made inappropriate physical contact and remarks to the female official while exchanging pleasantries after dinner.
A Ministry of National Defense official present at the scene stated that after a meal accompanied by alcohol, the Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Defense intentionally approached the female official and acted inappropriately within the process of introducing attendees to each other. It is reported that the female official and the deputy minister were seated at different tables during the meal.
The Ministry of National Defense ascertained the facts immediately after the incident and officially protested by summoning the Vietnamese Defense Attaché in Korea on the 19th, eight days after the incident. However, the Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Defense had left Korea the day after the incident, on the 12th, and no separate investigation was conducted.
A Ministry of National Defense official stated, “In respect of the victim’s wishes, the specific details cannot be disclosed,” and added, “We have taken the necessary diplomatic and administrative steps in accordance with principles.”
The Seoul Defense Dialogue is an international security forum hosted annually by the Ministry of National Defense, with this year’s event attended by over 1,000 people, including representatives from 68 countries and international organizations.