The Defense Ministry is planning to establish the National Military Academy, relocating only the Army Academy to the Chungcheong region while utilizing existing facilities for the Navy and Air Force. The integration of training for the Army, Navy, and Air Force is being considered for students entering in the 2029 academic year.
On November 11, the National Assembly's Defense Committee reported that the Defense Ministry recently submitted a revised basic plan for the establishment of the National Military Academy.
The Defense Ministry indicated to the National Assembly that it plans to revise the proposal to create a "network-type integration" consisting of a main campus and graduate school under the National Military Academy, along with campuses for each military branch.
The decision has been made to change the existing plan of establishing a unified National Military Academy in Daejeon to a "network" format. This concept includes a main campus and graduate school for integrated education, along with separate campuses for each military branch.
The Navy's Jinhae campus and the Air Force's Cheongju campus will remain in their current locations, while the Army campus will be relocated to the Chungcheong region, considering accessibility to the main campus and the relocation of central administrative agencies to Sejong City. Areas in Chungcheong, such as Jochiwon, are reportedly being evaluated.
The government believes that utilizing existing Navy and Air Force facilities could significantly reduce the budget compared to the previous plan, which called for four years of training at Daejeon.
According to internal estimates, the new military academy system is projected to cost approximately 1.5 trillion won, a significant decrease from the initial estimate of 2.7 trillion won for the establishment of the National Military Academy.
The Defense Ministry is expected to announce the admission process plan around April next year and implement the National Military Academy system for students entering in the 2029 academic year.
The curriculum is likely to follow a "1+2+1" model, with integrated education during the first and fourth years and branch-specific training in the second and third years. The Defense Ministry plans to finalize and announce the revised basic plan after consultations with the National Assembly and gathering opinions, followed by efforts to establish the legal foundation for the National Military Academy.
In a statement to reporters, the Defense Ministry emphasized that its commitment to establishing the National Military Academy remains unchanged, adding that details regarding the curriculum and other specifics have not yet been finalized. The ministry also stated that it will proceed with the revised basic plan and subsequent implementation procedures without delay.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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