South Korea's Defense Ministry faces criticism over joint training gap in academy merger

The South Korean Ministry of National Defense has proposed merging the Army, Navy and Air Force academies into a single National Military Academy, citing the need to strengthen joint operations training. Data obtained by the Seoul Shinmun shows that officer candidates from ROTC programs and university officer courses receive only two hours of joint‑operations education, while cadets at the Army Academy receive 280 hours. ROTC and university officers account for more than 70 % of new junior officers, raising concerns about the fairness and effectiveness of the merger rationale.

Lawmakers and military officials have questioned the disparity, noting that the proposed integration could disadvantage the majority of officer trainees. Defense Minister An Kyu‑baek emphasized that “jointness must be learned from the academy onward,” but critics argue that the current curriculum undermines that goal. The government plans to release detailed integration plans in October after a public consultation period.