Seoul: An alumni association of the Army's military academy on Tuesday criticized the government for "hastily" pushing to integrate the academies of the three military branches, calling on the government to reconsider the move from scratch. The Korea Military Academy Alumni Association expressed concerns about the Lee Jae Myung administration's proposal to establish an integrated military school comprising the Army, Navy, and Air Force, citing the potential weakening of national security.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the group claimed the government is planning to merge the three military academies and relocate them to the county of Jangseon in South Jeolla Province by 2028. The Korea Military Academy Alumni Association voiced its apprehensions, stating that the current plans could undermine national security.
"The Korea Military Academy Alumni Association expresses deep concern over the weakening of national security that the government's current hasty plans will bring," the association stated. Park Pan-joon, president of the association, criticized Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back for his perceived lack of military experience and mentioned that the group is considering filing damages claims for the "hasty" integration process that may neglect due process.
The association argued that the proposed integration could impede the cultivation of expertise for cadets and lead to a decline in combat capabilities. Shin Sang-kyun, a retired major general and member of the association, emphasized that combining the military academies equates to "standardization" rather than enhancing interoperability among different military branches.
"(Integrating the military academies) is standardization, while interoperability is different armed services operating together," Shin stated at a press conference.
In response, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back previously mentioned he was reviewing plans to allow freshmen and sophomores to take common courses, with juniors and seniors taking courses specific to their military branches. Ahn cited a decline in the number of talented individuals entering the military academies and a drop in the commissioning rate for officers as reasons for creating an integrated institution for cadets.