Seoul: The defense ministry has summoned a Vietnamese defense attache stationed in South Korea over alleged sexual misconduct by Vietnam’s deputy defense minister during his visit to Seoul last month, military officials said Monday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Senior Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien allegedly inappropriately touched a South Korean public servant during a banquet with high-ranking military officials on September 11. The incident reportedly occurred while the Vietnamese vice defense minister was in Seoul for the Seoul Defense Dialogue, which took place from September 8-10.

Given the gravity of the case, the ministry summoned the Vietnamese defense attache eight days after the incident to lodge an official protest regarding the deputy minister’s behavior. The South Korean ministry also called for measures to prevent a recurrence of such incidents in the future.

In response, the Vietnamese side reportedly expressed its commitment to ensuring a similar incident does not happen again. “The ministry has taken appropriate measures in accordance with established principles regarding the case,” a ministry official stated, noting that further details could not be disclosed out of respect for the wishes of the victim.