In Favor of Service Academy Reform, but Academy Superintendents Voice 'Concerns'

The parliamentary audit of the Army, Naval, and Air Force academies, which had previously been held together with their respective service headquarters, was held separately this year for the first time.

This is due to the controversy surrounding the establishment of an integrated Armed Forces Academy that would merge the academies of each military branch.

Opinions between the ruling and opposition parties were sharply divided.

The ruling party emphasized the necessity of "integration," calling it a requirement of the times to respond to future warfare.

[Rep. Kim Byung-joo / Democratic Party: "Because (the battlefield) is becoming integrated, integration is necessary to respond to future threats."]

The conservative opposition criticized the push, arguing that the integration is being rushed despite concerns over diminished effectiveness and compromised expertise.

[Rep. Kang Sun-young / People Power Party: "Even relocating a civilian apartment complex takes 10 to 15 years at most. How can they think of merging them in just two years..."]

While the superintendents of the three service academies all agreed on the need for academy reform, subtle differences in perspectives were also detected regarding the government's plan to push for integration.

[Park Hoo-sung / Superintendent, Korea Military Academy: "I hope this moves forward once a consensus is built by supplementing the basic plan and gathering diverse opinions..."]

Specific concerns were also raised about issues that could arise if they are integrated into Jaundae in Daejeon.

The Air Force requires flight training but lacks a runway, [Park Heung-jae / Superintendent, Korea Air Force Academy: "There could be declines in terms of various transportation issues, time consumption, and efficiency..."] and the Navy, which must conduct maritime training for more than six months out of four years, is inevitably troubled as well.

[Park Kyu-baek / Superintendent, Korea Naval Academy: "From the perspective of the Naval Academy, I believe the connection with the sea must be maintained..."]

All of them also maintained a cautious stance regarding the effectiveness of "strengthening jointness," which is the core justification for integration.

[Park Hoo-sung / Superintendent, Korea Military Academy: "(Currently,) we conduct 280 hours across 2 to 3 weeks of joint education per year, and the foundational knowledge of joint education is being met to a certain degree..."]

[Park Heung-jae / Superintendent, Korea Air Force Academy: "It is desirable to implement this within a scope that does not undermine expertise and identity..."]

[Park Kyu-baek / Superintendent, Korea Naval Academy: "Regarding the expected effects on jointness, a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the improvement effects is necessary..."]

Regarding the "Korea Military Academy coup responsibility" mentioned by President Lee Jae-myung, KMA Superintendent Park Hoo-sung emphasized, "While there were historical misdeeds by some political soldiers from the Military Academy, the vast majority of graduates are dedicating themselves to the nation and the military."

(Reported by Choi Jae-yeong | Video by Kim Hyun-sang | Video Editing by Park Seon-soo | Design by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.