The ruling and opposition parties clashed head-on over a plan to merge the Army, Navy and Air Force academies during a parliamentary audit at the National Assembly's National Defense Committee on the 22nd. The ruling party stressed the need for a merger to prepare for future warfare, saying general education courses at the three academies overlap by as much as 95%, while the opposition criticized the plan as rushed, noting that 91.3% of cadets oppose it. The academy superintendents effectively signaled opposition, saying they hoped the plan would move forward only after the basic plan is supplemented and a consensus is formed through consultation on a range of views.
Rep. Hwang Myung-sun of the Democratic Party of Korea presented an analysis of academy curricula at the audit of the three service academies, held at the Korea Military Academy in Seoul's Nowon District, and stressed the need for a merger. "A total of 52% of the curriculum is common or similar, and if general majors are included, at least about 76% is similar," he said.
"The similarity in general education courses in particular is 95.4%, a level at which integrated operation would pose no problem even right now," Hwang said. "If warfare changes, the education of commanders must change as well." He added that separate advanced facilities and faculty for each academy would make duplicate investment inevitable. "If common education is operated together at an integrated academy, faculty and facilities can be shared, deepening the quality of education," he said. "Resources saved through the merger can be invested intensively in securing outstanding faculty, advanced training facilities and service-specific professional education."
Rep. Kim Byung-joo of the Democratic Party stressed that merging the academies had been pursued by previous administrations as well. "Almost every government since the Korean War has pursued it without success," Kim said, citing attempts under the Park Chung-hee, Roh Tae-woo, Kim Young-sam and Lee Myung-bak administrations. He described the merger as "a demand of the times."
Rep. Kang Sun-young of the People Power Party rebutted Hwang's argument by pointing to differences in service-specific curricula — squad combat and ranger training at the Army academy, shipboard duty and maritime physical education at the Navy academy, and ranger and sea survival training at the Air Force academy. "The education in the first and second years differs starkly" among the academies, she said. On the cost of the merger, she raised the issue of budget inefficiency: "The budget for the three service academies is 96.7 billion won this year. The total cost of this relocation is 3 trillion won." She added, "I am very concerned about how they think they can merge all three service academies within two years."
Rep. Han Ki-ho, also of the People Power Party, raised his voice, saying, "Amid the turmoil of consolidating the academies, which shakes the century-long foundation of national defense to its core, as many as 91.3% of the cadets, the parties directly affected, are crying out in protest. Why are the superintendents keeping their mouths shut?" He said that while "soldiers must maintain political neutrality," that neutrality "does not mean bowing one's head without a soul even in the face of a misguided direction that shakes the roots of the military and the foundation of national security."
Lawmakers also sparred over whether the merger is linked to preventing a military coup. Han presented data on how overseas military academies are run and on the occurrence of coups, arguing that "the coup argument is all a useless lie." Rep. Sung Il-jong of the People Power Party also criticized the rationale, saying, "Does it make any sense to merge them because responsibility must be assigned over a coup? It is out of the question." Rep. Park Sun-won of the Democratic Party countered, "There were people who never once invoked the political neutrality of the military when we warned about martial law, and now they suddenly bring out coup data and say strange things."
The academy superintendents refrained from stating a clear position for or against the merger but stressed internal concerns and the need to maintain professional expertise, expressing reservations about the government's current merger plan. Park Hoo-sung, superintendent of the Korea Military Academy, said, "I believe innovation and change in academy education are necessary to cultivate future talent in preparation for future warfare." But he added, "In this process, I am well aware of the concerns and worries of cadets and faculty," and said he hoped the plan "would be pursued after the basic plan is supplemented and a consensus is formed through consultation on a range of views."
Park Heung-jae, superintendent of the Korea Air Force Academy, said, "It is true that integrated education helps strengthen joint capabilities, but it is desirable that it be carried out within a scope that does not damage professional expertise and identity." He added, "We will actively review and present opinions so that the identity and expertise of the Korea Air Force Academy are not undermined."