Military academy merger plan delayed amid ongoing deliberations: official

The Korea Times - Oct 23, 2026

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 cons

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