The Democratic Party and the government held a policy consultation meeting this morning (July 16) and decided to establish an integrated "Armed Forces Academy" by merging the existing Army, Navy, and Air Force academies, with the new institution to be located in Jaundae, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon.

It is understood that a four-year integrated education model is being favored, moving away from the previously discussed "2+2" approach, which would have involved two years of joint education followed by two years of specialized training at individual service academies.

Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-back stated, "We will build a state-of-the-art smart campus in Daejeon, where top research institutions such as KAIST are concentrated." He added, "We will foster officers equipped with interdisciplinary thinking and expertise by guaranteeing compensation for civilian professors at a level comparable to that of national universities."