What changes is South Korea considering for the planned integrated military academy?

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said the government may reconsider the academy’s location and is open to further opinions. The ministry is reportedly considering keeping some Navy and Air Force academy facilities so cadets can receive training specific to their branches, while the Korea Military Academy’s relocation remains undecided.

Why are military academy alumni opposing the integration plan?

Graduates and alumni groups say the plan could weaken the individual capabilities of each military branch. Park Pan-joon also objected to moving the Korea Military Academy from Taereung, and warned that the association was preparing possible legal and administrative action if the plan is later nullified.

When was the detailed road map for the military academy integration plan expected, and why was it delayed?

The government initially planned to draw up the detailed road map by last month. It postponed the announcement amid strong opposition from graduates and alumni groups, who argued that integration would weaken the capabilities of the separate military branches.

Defense chief signals potential shift in plans to integrate military academies

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Summary

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said Monday the government may reconsider the location of its planned integrated military academy in Daejeon amid opposition from graduates and reserve forces. He said the plan would not abolish the individual academies and that branch-specific education must continue. The ministry is reportedly considering retaining some Navy and Air Force academy facilities, while the Korea Military Academy’s possible relocation remains undecided. The government has delayed announcing a detailed road map after alumni groups objected.

Key Facts

The basic plan unveiled in July places the proposed academy at Jaundae, a military training and education compound in Daejeon about 140 kilometers south of Seoul.
Kang has repeatedly indicated since taking office in September that the government could partly revise its plan for a four-year National Military Academy at Jaundae.
The ministry is reportedly reviewing whether to retain some Navy and Air Force academy facilities for branch-specific cadet training.
Korea Military Academy Alumni Association President Park Pan-joon warned of possible audit requests and damage claims if the integration plan is later nullified.
The government had initially planned to complete the detailed road map by last month, but delayed the announcement amid opposition from graduates and alumni groups.

By Yonhap

Published Nov 9, 2026 4:56 pm KST

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul speaks during a National Defense Committee meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said Monday the government may review the location of an envisioned integrated military academy, signaling a shift in its push to establish a single institution in the central city of Daejeon amid a backlash.

Kang made the remarks in a meeting with the leaders of alumni associations of the Army, Navy and Air Force, as the defense ministry's plan to integrate their academies has faced pushback from graduates and reserve forces.

Under the basic plan unveiled in July, the government plans to set up a single military academy at Jaundae, a compound of military training and education facilities in Daejeon, about 140 kilometers south of Seoul.

"What I can say for certain is that we are not trying to abolish each military academy," Kang said. "Education specific to each military branch surely must be in place, so long as we do not form a unified force," he added.

In particular, the defense chief said he is ready to accommodate various more opinions in terms of the location of an envisioned school.

The defense chief has repeatedly hinted at partly revising the government plan to establish a tentatively named "National Military Academy" at Jaundae for a full four-year education program since taking office in September.

The ministry is reportedly reviewing partially keeping intact facilities of the military academies of the Navy and Air Force to enable cadets to receive training specific to their military branches there.

However, whether the Korea Military Academy for the Army, currently located in northern Seoul, will be subject to relocation remains to be seen.

Park Pan-joon, president of the Korea Military Academy Alumni Association, strongly protested the integration plan, while warning of legal action in the event the plan is overturned and nullified in the future.

"I do not understand why the (ministry) is so intent on kicking the Korea Military Academy out of Taereung," Park said, referring to the region housing the military school in Seoul's Nowon district.

"We are taking preparatory steps to ensure all possible means of legal and administrative liability to those responsible, such as a request for audit and damage claims, when the integration plan is nullified later," he added.

The government had initially planned to draw up the detailed road map for the integration plan by last month.

But the announcement has been pushed back amid a strong backlash from graduates and alumni groups, who claimed the move will weaken the individual capabilities of each military branch.

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