Two Faces of Opposition to the Armed Forces Academy: Unhinged Veterans vs. Rational Cadets

The public hearing on the establishment of the unified Armed Forces Academy, held the day before yesterday (August 26) at the National Defense Convention in Yongsan, Seoul, was exceptionally chaotic. Retired military personnel and opposition lawmakers who oppose the government's plan to integrate the service academies and establish the Armed Forces Academy engaged in unseemly behavior, including swearing, shouting, occupying the podium, and jeering. Retired soldiers who participated as debaters against the creation of the Armed Forces Academy were no different, raising their voices and veins bulging.

Former military personnel should know well that whether in offense or defense, military operations require passion to be reined in with coolness and composure to expect victory. Debates and arguments are no different. One must seize the initiative by delivering sharp, piercing arguments backed by a heavy and level-headed composure. However, at the public hearing the day before yesterday, the opponents of the Armed Forces Academy committed a strategic blunder, losing their grip on reason and running amok despite almost all of them being former soldiers.


A few Korea Military Academy cadets attending the public hearing were different. They calmly voiced their opposition with trembling voices. The student has surpassed the master. Yoon Kwang-ung, a former Minister of Defense and the oldest attendee, also quietly laid out arguments against the plan. It was highly persuasive. Retired military personnel who are alumni of the service academies will need to emulate the demeanor shown by the cadets and former Minister Yoon the day before yesterday if they wish to win this battle over the academy integration and merger.
  As everyone learns in elementary school, events like public hearings and debates have rules. Anyone attending can speak, but they must do so by getting an opportunity during the designated speaking time. Even if they find it unacceptable, they must show the formal courtesy of listening to the opposing side's views before issuing a rebuttal. They must also follow the directions of the chairperson and moderator.

At the public hearing on the establishment of the Armed Forces Academy the day before yesterday, rules like these were ignored from start to finish. When organizers attempted to screen a video illustrating the necessity of the establishment as the first order of business, a retired soldier who identified himself as a former general rushed out. He poured out shouts and curses, sat down on the podium, and blocked the screening. Watching the video was unlikely to solidify support or weaken opposition, yet they stubbornly intervened.


Next, the president of the Korea Military Academy Alumni Association delivered opening remarks as a representative of the general alumni associations for the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies. He did not hide his emotions and dragged out his time. Although the event needed to move on to the next sequence, retired personnel from the Naval and Air Force academies successively snatched microphones to speak. When Kim Hong-chol, head of the Defense Policy Office, was giving a policy briefing, People Power Party lawmaker Han Ki-ho disrupted the proceedings with a booming voice in the manner he was accustomed to using in the National Assembly. As soon as the policy briefing ended, retired personnel rushed toward the microphones demanding to say a word.

Even after being pulled apart with great difficulty and moving on to the debate, the opponents did not change. Amid continuous jeers and screams from the opponents, the speeches of the opposing debaters prioritized emotion over reason. They remained consistent with petty tactics such as asking questions and refusing to yield opportunities to answer, or splitting hairs. While the opponents might have felt a sense of catharsis among themselves, it seemed difficult to win over any persuasion.
  Among the attendees at the public hearing the day before yesterday, the oldest was likely former Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung, born in 1942. He grabbed the microphone during the Q&A session. Speaking in a calm tone, he argued against the plan, stating, "If the service academies are integrated, a core officer corps will be produced from a single institution, which could actually pose a threat to civilian control," and "To alleviate the president's political burden, the minister should frankly communicate with the president and it is right to suspend the pursuit of academy integration." Though it was the quietest voice, it was the most memorable opposing argument.


Toward the end of the public hearing, the youngest attendees, service academy cadets, were given the floor. They calmly and freshly laid out opposition arguments, asking, "What is the evidence that the current service academies fail to form an identity as Republic of Korea military officers?" and stating, "Cadets do not mind the aging facilities of the academies." The opponents gave them a thumbs-up and applauded.

At the public hearing the day before yesterday, opponents glared fiercely and said countless things in loud voices, but what remained were only the unseemly behaviors of the retired soldiers. Thanks to former Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung and the cadets, they barely managed to save face. If they wish to block the academy integration and the creation of the Armed Forces Academy, the opponents will need to reorganize their ranks by emulating the posture of former Minister Yoon and the cadets.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.