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.

"Anomie operation" at the banquet: Why did Vietnamese lieutenant general stab a diplomatic basket?

As head of the Vietnamese delegation, the mission has multiple tasks ¡ª implementing the delivery details of 60 K9 self-propelled cannons, fighting for the intention to purchase the T-50 training aircraft, and even exploring naval escort ship cooperation and the introduction of missile technology. These cooperations are crucial for Vietnam, which has an urgent need to upgrade its arms, and South Korea has long regarded Vietnam as a core potential market for arms exports.

In order to promote cooperation, Huang Chunzhan specially extended the trip originally scheduled to end on September 10 by one day. The previous formal talks and equipment inspections were progressing smoothly. South Korean Defence Minister Li Zhongyun also shrugged his hand with him and expressed ¡°expecting to deepen the cooperation between the two armies¡±. all the turns occurred at a joyful dinner at the Seoul Walk Hill Hotel on the evening of September 11.

According to the Korean Associated Press disclosure, in the cold after the dinner, the Yuan Spring War actively bypassed other South Korean high-ranking officials and headed straight to the South Korean defense ministry's female civil servant who was preparing documents.

The surveillance video showed that he continued to hold the women¡¯s hand by ¡°looking the travel documents¡± and said in Vietnamese, ¡°You are more temperamental than Vietnamese women and want to understand Korean culture alone.¡± At the same time, he reached out and tried to put his arm around each other's shoulders. The woman immediately retreated and avoided, and clearly warned in English,"Please respect etiquette on diplomatic occasions."

The scene atmosphere instantly solidified, the General Staff of the South Korean Army Chief Kim Yong-sen first time up the round field, with the "exploring radar system cooperation" to launch the Yong-sen battle, Vietnamese delegation secretary-general Nguyen Wang Yong-sen face-to-face pulled it to the lounge, this drama only temporarily ended.

That night, the victim female employee emotions excited to not be able to normally communicate, then report the case to the directly belonging chief. The Yellow Spring War did not perceive the seriousness of the problem, that night still attended the Vietnamese Embassy in Korea drinking party, the next day the spirit of self-reliance on a flight back to Vietnam.

The South Korean side responded quickly and vigorously.On September 12, the South Korean Ministry of Defense set up a special verification team to monitor, question witnesses, verify statements, and complete all evidence in just seven days.

On September 19, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea and the Ministry of Defense jointly summoned Vietnamese defense officers in South Korea to submit a strict protest letter, putting out three clear demands: Vietnam officially apologize to the South Korean government and victims, immediately recall the Yellow Spring War, and inform the results of internal investigations within 30 days.

At the congressional hearing, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin emphasized that he would deal with the matter with a ¡°zero tolerance¡± attitude, ¡°regardless of the other party¡¯s level of office,¡± which would raise the incident to the level of national dignity and the protection of citizens¡¯ rights and interests.

Vietnam's response appeared hesitant and repeated. After the incident was exposed, The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry first remained silent for three days, then apologized only with "high importance" and did not mention responsibility.More controversial was the fact that on September 19 ¡ª the same day that South Korea protested ¡ª the Vietnamese government issued a staff announcement extending the term of Deputy Minister of Yellow Spring.

It was not until September 25, under continued pressure from South Korea, that the Ministry of Defense of Vietnam issued an announcement admitting that Hwang Chun Chan "violated diplomatic etiquette and professional ethics," announced the suspension of his duties and established an investigation team. A written apology letter was sent to the victims by the ambassador to South Korea, but the specific punishment was not clear. Vietnam attempted to explain the incident as ¡°cultural differences lead to misunderstandings¡± and was vehemently rejected by South Korea.

The wave directly impacted the overall situation of military cooperation between the two countries.The South Korean Defense Ministry announced the suspension of all substantive activities with the Vietnamese delegation.The signing ceremony for the K9 cannon maintenance agreement, scheduled for September 18, was forced to be postponed. South Korean Defense Industry Administration officials privately revealed that no one dared to advance cooperation talks with Vietnam in the short term due to fears of raising public discontent.

Vietnam's Defense White Paper 2023 clearly proposed "procure 200 new cannons by 2025", South Korea's K9 was the most popular option due to adapting to the tropical climate, the two sides have previously signed a $ 1.2 billion military purchase intention letter, and also plans to carry out joint naval exercises.

The impact of the incident continues to ferment. The South Korean Defense Agency added a "diplomatic conduct clause" to foreign arms sales overnight, clarifying that the seller has the right to terminate the contract if the buyer's officials are improper in etiquette.

The Military Diplomatic Code of Conduct Committee, which was still advancing, has also accelerated its landing due to this storm. For the first time in Vietnam, the "diplomatic misconduct" of lieutenant-level officials has been written into the internal review. Congress is pushing for the inclusion of relevant contents in the Code of Conduct for Officers, which is expected to be voted next year.

Even ASEAN added a new "Code of Conduct for International Interactions of Military Personnel" in the October Defense Ministerial Communiqué, and the International Military Cooperation Association plans to include "Clausules against Harassment" in the 2024 Standard Contract Template.

According to an October poll conducted by the Korea National Defense Research Institute,

Vietnam seems to be aware of this. In the list of delegations scheduled to visit South Korea in November, the original border military delegation was replaced with civilian officials in an attempt to repair relations in a more cautious manner. A gaffe at a dinner party eventually cost the two countries a diplomatic price far beyond imagination.

Gender equality has been strict in the past few years, and this year¡¯s report from the South Korean Ministry of Gender Equality and Families showed that the processing rate of sexual harassment complaints in the workplace has risen from 62 percent to 89 percent in the past three years, and the popular consensus on ¡°zero tolerance¡± is strong.

This time, their civil servants were wronged in the workplace, and Vietnam still had an "indifferent" attitude. Korean netizens directly blew up the pot on Naver. The topic of "suspending arms sales to Vietnam" was discussed 230,000 times in two days. Even the opposition parties came out and shouted, saying that "if the Ministry of Defense is not tough, it will be disrespectful to all women."

The Vietnamese women¡¯s federation has not yet issued a statement on the positive assessment of Zalo¡¯s related topics (thinking that it was a ¡°Korean trap¡±). Half and half of the negative comments (thinking that "Huang Chun Zhan has humiliated Vietnam"). This difference in attitude has made the public opinion crack on both sides wider and wider.