Defense Ministry cites new minister's inauguration, other variables; year-end announcement expected

Korea Military Academy Superintendent Park Hu-seong (front row, left) and other officials from audited institutions take an oath at the National Assembly's National Defense Committee national audit of the Army, Navy and Air Force academies, held at the Korea Military Academy on Thursday.
Korea Military Academy Superintendent Park Hu-seong (front row, left) and other officials from audited institutions take an oath at the National Assembly's National Defense Committee national audit of the Army, Navy and Air Force academies, held at the Korea Military Academy on Thursday.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said Friday that its detailed plan for establishing a unified national military academy, originally set for release this month, has been delayed due to variables including a change in defense minister.

A Defense Ministry official told reporters Friday that announcing the plan this month had become physically impossible given multiple complicating factors. "There are many variables, including the inauguration of the new minister and the landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone," the official said. "Various opinions also emerged during the national audit, and we will incorporate and refine those before making the announcement."

The official added that the ministry planned to present the public with the best possible plan for establishing the academy "in the near future, given the gravity of the matter — training elite officers for the future." No specific announcement date has been set, but the urgency of the issue points to a release before the end of the year.

The Defense Ministry unveiled a basic plan in July to establish a four-year unified national military academy — merging the Army, Navy and Air Force academies — at Jaun-dae in Daejeon, a hub of military education and training facilities.

The ministry had said it would pursue releasing a detailed plan around October after gathering public input through hearings and other consultations. Specifics such as when the first class of cadets would be admitted and how they would be selected were expected to be included in that detailed plan.

Newly inaugurated Defense Minister Kang Sin-cheol has said publicly that he is open to revising the existing basic plan if further input reveals areas for improvement.

At his confirmation hearing last month, Kang expressed commitment to reforming the military academies but said of the ministry's integration blueprint: "Personally, I see areas that need to be supplemented. In my view, it is not complete."


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