Recently, a "sexual scandal" has erupted between South Korea and Vietnam. According to a recent report by Yonhap News Agency, during the closing banquet of the 2025 Seoul Security Dialogue (SDD) meeting held on September 11, General Hoang Xuan Trach, Deputy Minister of Vietnam's Ministry of Defense, is suspected of making "inappropriate physical contact" with a female South Korean government official.

According to accounts from people present at the event, although both sides had some alcohol, General Hoang Xuan Trach and the woman were not seated at the same table. However, he "seemed to intentionally approach her," which was considered a form of sexual harassment.

In response to this incident, the South Korean Ministry of Defense chose to delay handling it for eight days, and on September 19, summoned the Vietnamese military attaché in Seoul, formally lodged a complaint with the Vietnamese side, and urged them to take preventive measures. However, General Hoang Xuan Trach had already left South Korea on September 12, and South Korea claimed that they were unable to conduct a direct investigation.

(General Hoang Xuan Trach, Deputy Minister of Vietnam's Ministry of Defense, visiting South Korea)

This incident remained undisclosed for more than a month before being revealed by South Korean media, making the entire situation quite suspicious. First, Vietnam has stated through diplomatic channels that "it will prevent such incidents from happening again," but has not publicly apologized or explained the measures taken against the person involved. Moreover, General Hoang Xuan Trach himself has not been punished and attended a military activity on the Vietnam-Cambodia border on October 14; secondly, as a high-ranking Vietnamese general, it is highly unusual for him to commit such an act in public, and considering that General Hoang Xuan Trach was born on April 12, 1961, and is now 64 years old, this "sexual assault" seems even more unbelievable. In addition, the South Korean side has insisted on accusing but refuses to disclose details, citing the reason that "disclosure of case-related details is limited according to the victim's request," which has raised further doubts about the truth of the incident.

(General Hoang Xuan Trach delivering a speech at the Seoul Security Dialogue)

Therefore, up to now, the incident involving General Hoang Xuan Trach remains in a "Rashomon" state, with each party giving different accounts. Many public opinions point out that throughout the development of this incident, it is likely that South Korea and Vietnam did not reach an agreement behind the scenes. South Korea chose to expose the incident in an attempt to ruin General Hoang Xuan Trach's career. However, the incident occurred at a public banquet, and even if General Hoang Xuan Trach was wrong, it was not a serious offense. Whether exposing the incident can really affect his career is also questionable, and the authenticity of the incident itself is no longer important.

(The South Korean KF-21 fighter jet has just started mass production and is eager to promote it to the world)

General Hoang Xuan Trach currently serves as a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, a member of the Central Military Commission, and the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Defense of Vietnam. Although not a member of the highest decision-making circle in Vietnam, he is responsible for the procurement of Vietnamese military equipment, making him a key figure in determining the procurement decisions of the Vietnamese military. Additionally, South Korea is eager to sell the K9 self-propelled howitzer to Vietnam and hopes that Vietnam will purchase South Korean-made fighter jets and missiles. This has led to speculation that the entire incident is a "seduction and blackmail" tactic orchestrated by South Korea. The female civil servant is likely a spy who failed in the operation, leading to a breakdown in negotiations between South Korea and Vietnam due to unknown specific reasons.

Such speculations are based on evidence because South Korea has previously engaged in disgraceful actions to promote its weapons systems.

As early as February 2011, an Indonesian presidential envoy team traveled to South Korea to examine the T-50 advanced trainer aircraft and discussed the sales price of the "Black Panther" tank with South Korean officials. After the Indonesian envoy team checked into the 19th floor of the Lotte Hotel in central Seoul, shortly after they left the hotel to meet President Lee Myung-bak at Cheong Wa Dae, the South Korean National Intelligence Service sent a team of two men and one woman to infiltrate the Indonesian envoy's room.

While they were examining the Indonesian envoy's laptop and inserting a USB drive into the computer to steal confidential files, an Indonesian staff member suddenly returned to the room to retrieve something and collided with the three agents. The three South Korean agents immediately panicked and fled the scene without any conflict. Subsequently, the South Korean defense official accompanying the Indonesian delegation reported the incident to the police.

Subsequently, the South Korean National Intelligence Service firmly denied the incident, and the South Korean police stated that the surveillance footage from the Lotte Hotel was blurry and difficult to confirm the identity of the intruders. Ultimately, the Indonesian Ministry of Defense also denied the report, claiming that it was simply several Koreans who entered the wrong room, and the documents on the computer did not involve military procurement secrets. The incident was eventually left unresolved, and Indonesia eventually purchased 13 T-50I trainer aircraft manufactured by South Korea in 2022.

From the above incident, it is clear that South Korea is capable of using various extreme methods to promote its weapons. However, the methods used are quite clumsy. Especially after South Korea has made weapon exports a national strategy, there is even more motivation for South Korea to do so. Just a few days ago, at the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX), South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol publicly stated that South Korea will invest "unexpectedly high" budget for the defense and aerospace industry by 2030 to build the fourth largest defense industry system in the world.

It should be noted that South Korean weapons are relatively cost-effective choices within the Western system, and have achieved considerable sales success in recent years. For example, Poland's orders for 1,000 K-2 "Black Panther" tanks, 672 K-9 self-propelled howitzers, 288 K-239 multiple rocket launchers, and 48 FA-50 fighter jets, as well as the contract for joint production of K-9 self-propelled howitzers with India, have placed South Korea among the top four countries in global arms exports in 2024, following the United States, Russia, and France.

However, this is far from what President Yoon Suk-yeol claimed as the "fourth largest defense industry system in the world." According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), South Korea ranked tenth among the top ten arms exporters globally from 2020 to 2024. In the list of the top 20 arms manufacturers worldwide, there are no South Korean defense companies (the list is mainly dominated by American and Chinese companies, with a few European and Russian weapons manufacturers "sharing the soup"). This is why South Korea is so eager to promote its own weapons. However, the Hoang Xuan Trach incident has once again backfired, leaving the question of whether Vietnam will continue to purchase South Korean weapons open.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7564303581327704611/

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