Defense chief to meet heads of alumni groups of 3 military academies amid integration push
Summary
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back met the alumni associations of the Korea Military Academy, Republic of Korea Naval Academy and Republic of Korea Air Force Academy in Seoul on Wednesday amid the government’s push to merge the schools. The alumni groups have protested the plan, while the ministry says it is still seeking the best reform for military academy education with the National Military Academy as the basic premise. The ministry also said the project could cost more than 3 trillion won and plans a public hearing later this month.
Key Facts
- The meeting took place at the defense ministry compound in Seoul with the presidents of the three alumni associations.
- The government says the integration plan is meant to pool future cadets amid a demographic cliff and respond to evolving warfare.
- The alumni groups staged a rally calling on the government to stop the merger plan and review it from scratch.
- Kim Hong-cheol said the ministry is considering using profits from selling idle land and state funds to finance the new academy.
- The ministry plans to hold a public hearing later this month and release a detailed plan around October.
Alumni associations of the three military academies and other participants protest against a government plan to integrate the three academies into a single institution, July 8. Yonhap
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back met with the alumni groups of the Army, Navy and Air Force academies Wednesday to seek their support for the government's push to integrate the academies into a single institution, the defense ministry said.
Ahn met with the presidents of the alumni associations of the Korea Military Academy, Republic of Korea Naval Academy and the Republic of Korea Air Force Academy at the defense ministry compound in Seoul, according to the ministry.
The move comes after the alumni groups staged a massive rally protesting the integration plan, calling on the government to immediately halt its push to merge the academies and to review the plan from scratch.
The Lee Jae Myung government has said the integration plan seeks to pool talented future cadets amid a demographic cliff and better respond to evolving warfare.
The drive for the tentatively named "National Military Academy" has faced strong opposition from the armed forces, which argue each military service requires specialized training tailored to their distinct operational environment.
Following the meeting, the alumni associations claimed that the defense minister had pledged to review maintaining the current military academy system during its push for educational reform.
However, the ministry denied Ahn had made such comments, noting he had merely vowed to listen to various perspectives with an "open mind."
"The defense ministry will take into account various views raised in the process to achieve the best possible reform of military academy education, with the establishment of the National Military Academy as its basic premise," the ministry said in a press notice.
Kim Hong-cheol, deputy defense minister for policy, has said the ministry is reviewing a plan to use profits from the sell of idle land in the relocation process, as well as state funds, to finance the new military academy, estimating the total cost at over 3 trillion won ($2.1 billion), in an interview with local media.
The ministry plans to hold a public hearing later this month and unveil a detailed plan for the new academy around October.
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