The Daejeon chapter of the People Power Party (PPP) urged the government today (the 2nd) to "fully reconsider the military academy integration plan, which undermines the professionalism of the Army, Navy, and Air Force."

In a commentary released today, the PPP's Daejeon chapter argued, "While the Daejeon metropolitan government is promoting the establishment of the unified 'Armed Forces Academy' in Jaundae as a major achievement, there are reasonable suspicions that this is a ploy by the government—hobbled by real estate policies—to pull the Korea Military Academy out of Seoul."

The PPP criticized, "Furthermore, there are even moves to 'swap institutions' by relocating the Army, Navy, and Air Force universities currently in Jaundae to other regions. Despite pushing ahead with the relocation to Daejeon without persuasive explanations as to why the traditions of existing academies must be dismantled and integrated, the Daejeon mayor and local lawmakers are only scrambling to publicize it."

They added, "The functions of existing defense institutions in Jaundae must not be reduced or relocated outside the region, and the Daejeon city government must transparently disclose the impact that the relocation of the Armed Forces Academy will have on Daejeon's defense capabilities and local economy."

(Photo: Yonhap News)