Military Renovation Changes Cadet Curricula
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
The nation’s defense reform will change the education curricula for its corps of cadets at the Korea Military Academy (KMA). Lim Choung-bin, KMA superintendent, said the the KMA will innovate its curricula in accordance with the ``Defense Reform 2020’’ plan devised by the Ministry of National Defense.
``Curricula renovation is a must for the KMA to foster elite army officers who can cope with the future changing security environment,’’ the Lieutenant General said in an interview with The Korea Times.
``Under defense reforms, the army is transforming from a manpower-based army into a slimmer and stronger force. Under this situation, the role of military leaders will be different from that of now,’’ he said.
Curricula innovation at the KMA will reduce the number of pre-required courses and offers more elective courses including foreign languages for new cadets from 2008. Also, the KMA will develop more theme-oriented classes and require its cadets to preview their studies instead of the current review study system.
In addition, the KMA will have several new courses such as ``introduction to information technology,’’ ``counseling psychological,’’ ``study of modern warfare’’ and ``weapons & system engineering.’’
Founded in 1946 under the name of Chosun Defense Academy, the KMA has cultivated numerous military leaders with its timeless motto, ``wisdom, integrity and courage.’’ The KMA has produced three Presidents and many prime ministers.
Beginning in 1998, the door was opened for females up to 10 percent of its annual cadet quota. The average competition rate was 35:1 for the last five years but it rose to 38:1 this year. The superintendent expects the trend to continue. ``Although, female cadets have shown rather higher academic grades than their counterparts, if physical training scores are added, the difference evens out,’’ he said.
The KMA recruits about 230 cadets every year; 40 percent for its division of humanities and social sciences and 60 percent for science and engineering. However, it will change the ratio into 45 percent for the former and 55 percent for the latter to cope with the trend that many high school students are avoiding science and engineering studies.
The cadets get full-scholarships as well as a certain amount of spending money. Moreover, they can get financial support for overseas trips to Japan for sophomore cadets, to China for junior cadets and the U.S. or Europe for senior cadets during the summer vacation, Lim noted.
Specifically, honor is a critical value for the young military leaders and this is why the KMA stresses moral and ethical development education. The general mentioned his concept of an ``Honor System’’ on the three criteria of honor violations namely lying, cheating, and unjust gain.
``The Honor Exam allows our cadets to take their exams without supervision because cheating is a disgrace, which can compromise future leaders. It is KMA's shining tradition,’’ he said.