Kim Hong-chul, head of the ministry’s defense policy office, told reporters after a policy forum at the Korean Constitutional Association in Seoul that construction of the new campus would take “roughly 10 years.”
The ministry is reportedly working on the assumption that the campus at Jaundae, a military complex in Daejeon, would be completed around 2036.
Asked whether the new Korea Armed Forces Academy could begin accepting cadets at a temporary facility before the Daejeon campus is completed, Kim said several options were being discussed.
“Various plans are currently under consideration, but nothing has been decided,” he said. “We will also review that possibility.”
The ministry is reportedly considering using the existing Korea Military Academy campus in Seoul’s Nowon District as a temporary home for the integrated academy.
The Defense Ministry earlier announced a basic plan to establish a four-year joint academy at Jaundae by integrating the Army, Navy and Air Force academies.
Under the proposal, the three existing service academies would be reorganized as separate undergraduate divisions under the joint academy. Cadets would receive common education during their first two years before moving into service-specific education and training in their third and fourth years.
He said the integrated academy should strengthen jointness among the armed services and develop officers capable of conducting multidomain operations.
The ministry plans to hold public hearings and policy briefings before announcing a detailed establishment plan in October. It is also seeking to enact legislation authorizing the creation of the academy by the end of this year.
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