Politics · South Korea · 12 hrs ago
Army academy chief urges review and consultation before military academy merger
South Korea’s army academy chief called for changes and wider consultation before plans to merge the country’s three military academies move forward.
The proposal would bring together the army, navy and air force academies, whose cadets currently train at separate schools.
At a parliamentary hearing in Seoul, the army chief said education needs to change but acknowledged concerns among cadets and professors.
He said he was not opposing a merger and agreed it could strengthen cooperation among the armed forces.
The navy and air force academy chiefs also stressed the need to assess the effects and protect each service’s expertise and identity.
Ruling-party lawmakers urged the government to move quickly, while opposition lawmakers warned that the plan could weaken specialist training.
The merger plan remains under debate, and the army chief said he would continue raising concerns as the details are developed.
Army Academy chief Park Hu-seong said a proposed merger of South Korea’s three military academies should follow revisions to the plan and consultation to build consensus.
He said academy education needs to evolve but acknowledged concerns among cadets and faculty.
Park said a merger could strengthen joint operations, while arguing that the separate academies already work to improve cooperation.
The ruling party urged swift action, while opposition lawmakers raised concerns about the merger’s effectiveness and possible harm to military specialisation.
The chiefs of the Air Force and Navy academies also called for safeguards or further analysis.
- Who
- Park Hu-seong, chief of the Army Academy, and lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties.
- What
- Park called for revisions to the merger plan and consultation before proceeding. Lawmakers disagreed over how quickly to pursue the merger and its likely effects.
- When
- October 22, 2026.
- Where
- The Army Academy in Nowon-gu, Seoul, South Korea.
- Why
- Park said consultation could build consensus and address concerns. Supporters said the merger would meet the needs of the times, while opponents cited doubts about its benefits and risks to specialisation.
Ruling party supporters
Opposition lawmakers
Merger timetable
Ruling party supporters
The merger should be pursued swiftly as a campaign pledge and a demand of the times.
Opposition lawmakers
The government should not rush; the opposition raised concerns about a two-year timetable.
Expected effects
Ruling party supporters
The merger is intended to strengthen joint operations among the services.
Opposition lawmakers
The merger may have limited benefits and could weaken specialisation.
Park said he had continued to make recommendations through the official chain of command.
The National Assembly’s Defence Committee held a hearing on the Army, Navy and Air Force academies at the Army Academy in Seoul.
Park called for revisions to the merger plan and consultation, while lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties argued over its pace and effects.
- Army Academy cadets
- 1,141
- Navy Academy cadets
- 620
- Air Force Academy cadets
- 840
- Hearing venue
- Army Academy, Nowon-gu, Seoul
- Hearing date
- October 22, 2026
3 sources
What people are saying
I hope it will proceed after the basic plan is supplemented and diverse opinions are gathered to build consensus.
Integrated education does help strengthen jointness, but it is desirable to implement it without harming expertise and identity.
I believe the expected effects of jointness from integration need quantitative and qualitative analysis.
The integration of the military academies is not something only the Lee Jae-myung government has pursued; almost every government since the Korean War has pursued it.