Military academy merger plan delayed amid ongoing deliberations: official

The South Korean government is likely to delay announcing a detailed plan to merge the Army, Navy and Air Force academies as it continues gathering stakeholder views, a Seoul official said Friday. The Lee Jae Myung administration says a unified academy would strengthen joint capabilities amid a declining birth rate and changing warfare. Active-duty service members and alumni groups oppose the plan, arguing it is politically motivated and could weaken the Army and other branches. The preliminary blueprint places the academy at Jaundae in Daejeon.

A Defense Ministry official said it would be physically difficult to announce the detailed plans before the end of October.

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said on Sept. 24 that the government was not seeking to shut down or abolish the existing academies.

Kang said training institutions must exist in some form as long as the Army, Navy and Air Force continue to exist.

Jaundae is a military training and education compound in Daejeon, about 140 kilometers south of Seoul.

Published Oct 23, 2026 1:15 pm KST

Officials take an oath during a parliamentary audit of the Army, Navy and Air Force academies at the Korea Military Academy in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

A detailed road map for the planned integration of military academies will likely be announced later than originally planned to ensure the ongoing deliberations reflect the positions of all stakeholders, a Seoul official said Friday.

The Lee Jae Myung administration is pushing to establish a single military academy by merging those of the Army, Air Force and Navy to enhance joint capabilities amid a declining birth rate and changing warfare environment driven by drones and artificial intelligence technologies.

However, the plan has faced strong pushback from active-duty service members and alumni groups, who regard the move as a politically motivated effort to weaken the Army and argue it will erode the capabilities of the individual service branches.

"We think that it will be physically difficult to announce (the detailed plans) before the end of this month," a defense ministry official told reporters on background. "We are still in the process of gathering opinions."

The delay appears to reflect Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul's earlier indication the ministry may rethink the plan considering the fierce opposition.

Speaking to reporters on his first day in office in September, Kang floated a "better way" for the integration, saying that the current plan does not mean the government was shutting down or abolishing the academies.

"I believe there could be a better way," Kang said during the press availability on Sept. 24. "As long as the Army, Navy and Air Force exist, there must be training institutions in one form or another."

Kang promised to gather as much input as possible from all concerned parties, stressing that the goal is to shape the military to produce outstanding leaders.

Under the preliminary blueprint unveiled by the government and the ruling party in July, the envisioned integrated academy will be established at Jaundae, a military training and education compound in the central city of Daejeon, about 140 kilometers south of Seoul.

首尔一位官员周五表示，韩国政府可能推迟公布合并陆军、海军和空军军校的详细计划，因为政府仍在收集各利益相关方的意见。李在明政府称，在出生率下降和战争形式发生变化的背景下，建立统一的军校将增强联合作战能力。现役军人和校友团体反对该计划，认为其出于政治动机，可能会削弱陆军和其他军种。初步方案将军校选址在大田市的川台。

国防部一名官员表示，在10月底之前公布详细计划在实际操作上很困难。

国防部长姜信哲9月24日表示，政府并不寻求关闭或废除现有的军事院校。

康表示，只要陆军、海军和空军继续存在，训练机构就必须以某种形式存在。

春台是位于大田的军事训练和教育基地，距离首尔以南约 140 公里。

发布于2026年10月23日下午1:15（韩国标准时间）

周四，在首尔韩国军事学院，官员们在国会接受陆军、海军和空军院校审计时宣誓就职。（韩联社）

首尔一位官员周五表示，为确保正在进行的讨论能够反映所有利益相关者的立场，军事院校整合计划的详细路线图可能会比原计划晚些公布。

李在明政府正努力将陆军、空军和海军的军事学院合并，建立一所统一的军事学院，以增强在出生率下降和无人机、人工智能技术驱动的战争环境变化背景下的联合作战能力。

然而，该计划遭到了现役军人和退伍军人团体的强烈反对，他们认为此举是出于政治动机，旨在削弱陆军，并认为这将削弱各个军种的能力。

一位国防部官员匿名告诉记者：“我们认为在本月底前公布（详细计划）在实际操作上存在困难。我们仍在收集意见。”

这一延误似乎反映了国防部长姜新哲早前的表态，即考虑到强烈的反对意见，国防部可能会重新考虑该计划。

康在9月上任第一天接受记者采访时，提出了一个“更好的”整合方案，称目前的计划并不意味着政府要关闭或废除这些学院。

康在9月24日的新闻发布会上说：“我相信会有更好的办法。只要陆军、海军和空军存在，就必然会以某种形式存在训练机构。”

康承诺将尽可能多地听取各方意见，并强调目标是塑造一支能够培养杰出领导人的军队。

根据政府和执政党在7月份公布的初步蓝图，设想中的综合学院将建在位于首尔以南约140公里处中部城市大田的军事训练和教育基地——川台。