PPP Blasts Pres. Lee Over Remarks Linking Korea Military Academy to Coups

The People Power Party (PPP) criticized President Lee Jae-myung on the 6th, stating that he "is unfit to serve as the commander-in-chief" after the President remarked that "the Korea Military Academy has been at the center of military coups in South Korea not once, but three times" and ordered the Ministry of National Defense to integrate the Army, Naval, and Air Force academies.

During a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly today, party leader Jang Dong-hyeok labeled the remarks as an "unprecedented absurd comment," pointing out, "Under the guise of strengthening jointness or fostering convergent talent, what ultimately came out of the President's mouth was the idea that integrating the military academies would reduce the possibility of a coup."

Supreme Council member Kim Jae-won also chimed in, saying, "Even if the Korea Military Academy is the birthplace of coups, preventing coups would call for disbanding the military altogether rather than integrating the Army, Naval, and Air Force academies. With such a state of mind holding the position of commander-in-chief of this country, national defense is deeply concerning."

PPP lawmakers sitting on the parliamentary National Defense Committee—Han Ki-ho, Seong Il-jong, Kang Seon-young, Lim Jong-deok, Yoo Young-ha, and Yoo Yong-won—joined the offensive by holding a press conference at the National Assembly.

They emphasized, "The officer training system is a century-long foundation that determines the military's future combat power and national security," adding, "Past events for which historical and legal accountability has already been settled cannot be used as a pretext for altering the future officer training system."

Rep. Han, a retired Army lieutenant general, told reporters, "(The President's remarks) are equivalent to calling current and prospective cadets prospective coup forces."

Five-term lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun posted on Facebook, "If past cases are being used as grounds to subject even the Korea Military Academy and its graduates—who are dedicated to the nation—to disciplinary targets, this is collective responsibility reminiscent of the guilt-by-association system that modern the rule of law has guarded against."

First-term lawmaker Kim Jae-seob demanded, "The true culprits behind the coups were private factions like Hanahoe, not the school," adding, "If private factions must be watched out for, first clean up the people who openly style themselves as the 'Lee Jae-myung Seven-Member Circle' or the 'Seongnam Line,' blinding and deafening the President while meddling in state affairs."

Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min also remarked on social media, "Did a coup really happen because of a school called the Korea Military Academy? By that logic, shouldn't Seoul National University's College of Law, where President Yoon Suk Yeol graduated, and Chungam High School also be abolished?" He added, "If the Army, Naval, and Air Force academies are merged through such simple-minded thinking, President Lee is unfit to serve as commander-in-chief."

The opposition camp also unleashed a barrage of criticism against Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young, who stated during a Cheong Wa Dae policy briefing the previous day that labeling North Korea as the "main enemy" is inappropriate and that the North's preferred title, the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea," should be used instead.

Rep. Park Choong-kwon, a North Korean defector, wrote in a Facebook post, "President Lee should respond with an immediate dismissal," adding, "Minister Jeong's very existence is a major threat to South Korea's security."

Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, also wrote on social media, "If the Unification Minister of the Republic of Korea publicly makes such flawed assertions, the public will feel anxious and the international community will misunderstand that a major shift has occurred in South Korea's security stance," adding, "Minister Jeong must refrain from words and actions that cause confusion and anxiety among the public and the international community."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.