«--[· Preface ·]--»
On October 20, the South Korean Ministry of Defense directly confirmed the matter. They called the Vietnam defense attaché in South Korea and specifically protested against the improper behavior of Lieutenant General Hwang Chun Thang, Deputy Minister of Defense of Vietnam during his visit to South Korea in September.
This happened in official diplomatic activities, Not only are the two Korean-Vietnamese troubled, but even internationally have begun to look at diplomatic rituals and official conduct norms.
«-[· Dinner Farce ·]-»
In September, Seoul was still warm in late summer, but an official dinner that was supposed to promote military cooperation became the birthplace of diplomatic scandals. Vietnam's Deputy Defense Minister, General Nhang Xuan Thang, went to South Korea to attend the annual "Seoul Defense Dialogue" with the topic of military cooperation. The reception led by the South Korean military was of high quality. Generals and government officials from both sides of South Korea and Vietnam gathered together. A consensus on defense cooperation should have been brewing during the collision of wine glasses.
The accident suddenly occurred in the middle of the dinner. The Yellow Spring Battle went to a South Korean defense ministry female civil servant, and the public made a physical contact act across the border. This scene did not escape the eyes of the crowd, many guests instantly fell into embarrassment, the original hot conversation sounded abruptly. The South Korean military staff first noticed the abnormal, but hindered the courtesy of the diplomatic occasion, and did not take tough stop measures on the spot.
To know, the “Seoul Defense Dialogue” is the main drama of South Korea’s defense diplomacy during the year, where representatives from 56 countries gathered, was the stage for South Korea to show regional influence.
The move of the Yellow Spring War not only lost the face of the Vietnamese delegation, but also placed the South Korean hosts in an extremely passive situation - their own female officials were humiliated in official events, and handling a little carelessness could trigger a tsunami of domestic public opinion.
“[The Korean side is not short, the five officers are called to pressure on the spot.]”
After the incident, the South Korean Ministry of Defence did not select the Syrian people. Investigators immediately launched the verification work, questioned witnesses one by one, and fixed relevant evidence. They knew that this was not an ordinary social disaster, but a diplomatic offensive against public officials, and the outcome was directly related to the national dignity of South Korea.
On September 19th, the eighth day after the incident, South Korea's Ministry of National Defense made a tough response. The staff called the Vietnamese Embassy in South Korea directly and asked the defense attache to go to the Ministry of National Defense immediately. At the meeting site, the representative of the South Korean side looked serious and submitted the protest document face to face, explicitly condemning Huang Chunzhan's misconduct.
South Korea’s statement was quite firm. They not only asked Vietnam to give an explanation, but also suggested that effective measures must be taken to prevent a similar incident from repeating. A defense ministry official later revealed that the move was “principally necessary,” but no more details could be disclosed for the protection of the victims.
Interestingly, the South Korean side’s retaliatory rhythm has benefited. The eight-day verification period avoided the possibility of impulsive conclusions and responded quickly to domestic potential public opinion questions. This “not delayed, not soft” attitude has responded to the Yinxiang government’s recent high-profile promotion of defense diplomacy.
«--[· Background Digging ·]--»
This scandal did not occur by accident. Behind it lies deep entanglements in South Korea and Vietnam's military cooperation. In addition to participating in the defense dialogue, Huang Chunzhan's visit to South Korea this time also has an important task-promoting Vietnam's project to purchase South Korean K9 self-propelled artillery. As early as May 2024, Vietnam had clearly expressed its purchase intention and planned to introduce as many as 108 artillery pieces of this type. Huang Chunzhan himself had negotiated cooperation details with South Korea many times.
South Korea attaches great importance to this order. The K9 self-propelled artillery is a "star product" of South Korea's military industry. Global sales have exceeded 1400 pieces, and its export volume has ranked among the top in the world all year round. Winning orders from Vietnam will not only expand its share in the Southeast Asian market, but also strengthen South Korea's international image as a "major military exporter." Yoon Sek Yuet's government has recently relied on defense diplomacy to boost support, and this cooperation is of great significance to its political agenda.
More importantly, the defense dialogue in Seoul itself is the stage of the Korean show muscle. This dialogue attracted more than 800 representatives from all countries, and the Korean side hyped into military applications such as artificial intelligence, and highlighted new equipment such as KF-21 fighters. The scandal of the Yellow Spring War undoubtedly poured a bowl of cold water into this well-planned "defense diplomatic show".
After the scandal was officially confirmed by the South Korean Ministry of Defense on October 20, it immediately attracted the attention of the international community. There are unwritten rules of conduct in diplomatic settings. Suspected sexual harassment by senior military officials during official activities is a rare case in recent years. Many international media have published comments, pointing out that the incident "tramples on the bottom line of diplomatic etiquette."
To date, the Ministry of Defense has neither denied nor apologized, and this ambiguous attitude is a difficult choice. The Yellow Spring War has a high weight in the military administration two times, directly prosecuting the possibility of internal unrest; but if ignored, it will blame South Korea, the important military-industrial partner, and even affect key projects such as the procurement of K9 cannons.
The two countries have been interacting frequently in the military field in recent years, and South Korea not only wants to sell weapons to Vietnam, but also plans to transfer related production technology to help Vietnam improve military and industrial capabilities.
What deserves more attention is the regional impact. South Korea is actively promoting "Indo-Pacific defense cooperation" recently, trying to win over Southeast Asian countries to strengthen their camp. As an important member of ASEAN, Vietnam is a key target for South Korea. If this scandal is not properly handled, it will not only damage bilateral relations, but may also cause other Southeast Asian countries to have doubts about South Korea's "defense diplomacy."
“ ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ”
At the moment, everyone is waiting for Vietnam’s next move. There are reports that Vietnam’s military and political leaders have held a closed-door meeting on the matter, but no consensus has been reached. while South Korea has made it clear that it will continue to pay attention to the Vietnamese response.