FILE PHOTO: Vietnam's Deputy Defence Minister Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien speaks at the Asean Defence Senior Officials' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, on September 25, 2024. He is alleged to have inappropriately touched a South Korean civil servant during an annual security forum in September. - VNA
SEOUL: South Korea summoned a Vietnamese envoy over allegations of sexual misconduct by Hanoi's deputy defence minister during a visit last month, local media reported.
Vietnam's Deputy Defence Minister Hoang Xuan Chien is alleged to have inappropriately touched a South Korean civil servant during an annual security forum in September.
On Tuesday, South Korea's defence ministry told AFP it had taken "appropriate action" over the incident but could not confirm the summoning.
The official added that "disclosure of detailed facts is limited out of respect for the victim's wishes".
In a closed-door briefing with South Korean journalists on Monday, the defence ministry said it "condemned the conduct of the Vietnamese vice defence minister and requested measures to prevent a recurrence".
The accused deputy minister left South Korea the day after the incident, and the attache was summoned a week later, according to local media.
Hanoi's attache reportedly expressed regret and assured the ministry the incident would not happen again.
Hanoi's embassy in Seoul did not respond to calls from AFP seeking comment. - AFP
