Alumni urge full review of consolidation plan after first meeting with defense minister

'1+2+1 plan a patchwork mess,' groups say; relay protests begin near Hannam-dong residence

Advisory committee's balanced composition welcomed as 'sound judgment'

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul meets with the presidents of the Army, Navy and Air Force academy alumni associations on Monday. [Ministry of National Defense]
Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul meets with the presidents of the Army, Navy and Air Force academy alumni associations on Monday. [Ministry of National Defense]

The alumni associations of the Army, Navy and Air Force academies said Monday that Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul has clear limits in his ability to adjust policy direction, and called for a meeting with the president after sitting down with Kang earlier that day. The groups also renewed their demand for a full review of the Defense Ministry's plan to consolidate the three service academies, saying the proposal would undermine each branch's distinct character and traditions.

Park Pan-jun, president of the Korea Military Academy alumni association, Lee Beom-rim, president of the Naval Academy alumni association, and Hwang Seong-jin, president of the Air Force Academy alumni association, met with Kang on Monday.

In a statement issued after the meeting, the three said they conveyed their view that the consolidation plan "carries many problems in terms of each branch's distinct character, the traditions and identity built over decades, professional and joint capabilities, and the fiscal efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the state," and that a review was needed.

The alumni associations said Kang did not mention the broad framework of a master plan the government is expected to announce soon, and that he took a defensive stance toward their overall concerns. They added that they had confirmed "the Defense Ministry intends to continue pushing the consolidation plan."

The associations handed Kang a letter addressed to the president, signed in the name of alumni from all three academies, and asked him to arrange a meeting with the president. They also delivered a handwritten letter from a Korea Military Academy cadet addressed to the defense minister.

The associations said relay protests by academy alumni reservists and members of a civic group opposing the closure of the academies began Monday in the area around the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul. They described the demonstrations as an indirect expression of their desire for a meeting and dialogue with the president.

The associations also expressed deep regret and concern over a civilian advisory committee inauguration ceremony and dinner the Defense Ministry is holding Tuesday. They said all the advisory members the ministry had announced were supporters of consolidation and called for a balanced composition of those for and against the plan. They welcomed Kang's acceptance of that demand as "sound judgment."

The associations said Kang indicated he would review the consolidation plan while preserving the current academy structure and each class's traditions. They called this "positive in its own way" and said they expected a more forward-looking proposal.

However, they dismissed the recently discussed "1+2+1 consolidation plan" as "a patchwork scheme that would make a mess of academy education." They also said the consolidation plan itself was underpinned by an intent to sever the history and traditions of the existing academies and shut them down.

The associations said the push for consolidation stems from political calculation rather than educational reform or military necessity, leaving its rationale and purpose unclear, and that it is fueling public distrust of the military and becoming a source of security anxiety. They urged the government and the National Assembly to set aside unfocused armchair debate and conduct a review from the perspective of a century-long national vision, calling on both to exercise the wisdom to resolve a problem of their own making so the consolidation plan does not go down in defense history as a cautionary record of how the academies were degraded.


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