[Anchor]

President Lee Jae-myung pointed out that graduates of the Korea Military Academy have been at the center of past military coups, yet have never been held accountable once. He instructed that the integration of military academies be swiftly pursued. President Lee also addressed the issue of delays in negotiations for the return of U.S. military base land in South Korea.

Reporter Kim Ayeong.

[Reporter]

This was from the presidential work report by foreign affairs and national security ministries held at the Blue House this morning (August 5).

After receiving a report from the Ministry of National Defense on the plan to integrate the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies, President Lee emphasized this by noting that all three past military coups centered around the Korea Military Academy, but no one was ever held responsible.

[Lee Jae-myung / President: Is there any case like this, where officers from a specific military branch overwhelmingly dominate the military, occasionally stage military coups that tear the country apart, and then face zero accountability afterwards? If we integrate them, the likelihood of such things happening decreases.]

This effectively made it clear that the purpose of integrating the military academies is to "keep the Korea Military Academy in check."

Mentioning the possibility of a coup recurring by asking, "Couldn't they do it again?", President Lee instructed that the integration be carried out swiftly and forcefully, stating, "We must structurally make it impossible for them to ever do so."

Regarding the situation where the return of U.S. military base land across the country is not taking place on time even after the relocation of U.S. forces to the Pyeongtaek base, which the government built at a cost of 10 trillion won, he bluntly stated that it "makes no sense from a common sense standpoint."

[Lee Jae-myung / President: In my view, it is practically an excuse. They do not hand them over for various reasons, and even when they do, they attach strings to one thing after another and prevent us from using them. Isn't this a real problem?]

[Ahn Gyu-back / Minister of National Defense: We will proceed with a sense of speed.]

When Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-back reported that the U.S. side was passive, President Lee pointed out, "That is why you shouldn't hand things over in advance."

Regarding the Ministry of Unification's report that it would push to change how North Korea is addressed by calling it "Joseon," President Lee urged caution, saying, "I think we need to ponder this very carefully."

[Lee Jae-myung / President: Whenever you try to do something right with good intentions, there are cases where they catch on to it as an excuse and attack, ultimately resulting in a worse situation.]

Stating that "independent national defense is the ultimate goal," President Lee repeatedly expressed his determination to complete the transition of wartime operational control within his term.

(Video Editing: Lee Seunghee)