President Links Unified Military Academy Plan to Preventing Coups

President Lee Jae-myung has directly linked the push for a unified military academy to preventing future coups, explicitly referencing historical military uprisings originating from the Korea Military Academy. During a ministry briefing, Lee stated that the academy has been at the center of three coups, yet its leaders have never been held accountable, raising concerns about potential recurrences. He argued that integrating the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies into a single institution would dismantle the "cartels" formed by alumni networks and reduce the possibility of future military insurrections.

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There have been as many as three coups in our country, and they were all led by the Korea Military Academy, yet they were never held accountable. Couldn't they happen again?

The administration's plan, announced last month, involves establishing a four-year unified military academy in Daejeon. President Lee urged the Ministry of National Defense to proceed with the integration swiftly and decisively. He highlighted that a disproportionate number of high-ranking military officials are graduates of the Korea Military Academy, even after multiple instances of coups that disrupted the constitutional order. Lee suggested that without integration, the potential for such disruptions, even referencing a hypothetical scenario of military officers monitoring civilian centers, remains a concern.

However, the proposal has ignited strong opposition. The Korea Military Academy Alumni Association criticized the move as generalizing the actions of a few individuals and potentially creating an impression of political retribution, which they argue is detrimental to national security. Yoo Yong-won, a Member of Parliament from the People Power Party, echoed these sentiments, stating that the President has revealed the "punitive" intent behind the integration, aiming to effectively erase the Korea Military Academy from the nation's military structure.

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Generalizing the historical deviations of a very small number of individuals as the responsibility of an entire educational institution can give the public the impression of political retribution and does not benefit national security.

In addition to the academy integration, President Lee also directed the Ministry of National Defense to prioritize self-reliant defense capabilities and the recovery of wartime operational control. He stressed that exercising independent command authority is a fundamental aspect of sovereignty. The ministry reported its intention to establish a target year for the transfer of wartime operational control at the upcoming Security Consultative Meeting in October. The President also drew a parallel between historical instances of neglecting military readiness due to cost-cutting and recent controversies surrounding guard duty protocols, where live ammunition was reportedly not used.

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The President has revealed the real reason for merging the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies. It is 'punishment' for the December 3 emergency martial law, effectively erasing the Korea Military Academy from South Korea.