The Ministry of National Defense building. [Photo by Park Hae-muk]
The Ministry of National Defense building. [Photo by Park Hae-muk]

The Ministry of National Defense is strongly considering establishing a unified Korea Armed Forces Academy at Jaunidae in Daejeon, where cadets from all three service branches would receive four years of integrated education, sources said.

"We are working on a plan to establish a world-class Korea Armed Forces Academy to train elite officers who will lead victories in future warfare, and we plan to explain the details to the public soon," the ministry said Wednesday.

The ministry had previously considered a "2+2" model, under which cadets would be jointly recruited and receive common instruction at the unified academy for their first two years before dispersing to their respective service academies for specialized training in years three and four. The four-year integrated program at Jaunidae has now emerged as the leading option as the ministry seeks to strengthen jointness across the services.

Under the plan, cadets would spend all four years at Jaunidae as the baseline arrangement, with service-specific coursework introduced in the upper years to build each branch's professional expertise.

Located in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Jaunidae is a hub of military education and training facilities, home to the Army College, Naval College, Air Force College and Joint Military University, all of which train commissioned officers.

The ministry is expected to announce the establishment plan imminently, with Thursday seen as the most likely date. The ministry plans to refine its master plan through a public consultation process that will include open hearings and policy briefings.


youknow@heraldcorp.com