Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek speaks to reporters at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an Asian security conference, in Singapore on May 30 (local time). [Yonhap News]

The safety and defense of the nation are solemn missions and orders entrusted to the armed forces by Article 5 of the Constitution. The Minister of National Defense, as the highest executive responsible for fulfilling these duties, should be dedicated solely to maintaining a strong security posture and the well-being of our service members. 

However, what is the current conduct of Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek!

We are facing a dire reality where policies and organizational reforms that defy common security sense are shaking the very foundations of national security, undermining the bond of our blood alliance, and even destroying the nation itself through political maneuvering that dismantles the educational system of the military academies and the sacred grounds of national defense. 

Therefore, with a heavy heart as if bleeding for the protection of the Republic of Korea, we designate the defense leadership pursuing security policies that move in the opposite direction as anti-state and anti-rebellion forces and impeach them in the name of historical justice.

First, we impeach the rebellion of breaking the ROK-US alliance by pushing for the transfer of wartime operational control.

Amidst the grave situation on the Korean Peninsula, Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek is recklessly pushing for the transfer of wartime operational control, causing a serious rift in the ROK-US alliance, a key pillar of our security. This hasty policy, which destabilizes the ROK-US combined defense system, a powerful deterrent to South Korean security, is a perilous act of gambling with national security. 

The responsibility for undermining alliance trust and creating a security vacuum through the blind and hasty pursuit of wartime operational control transfer is by no means light. The ROK-US alliance is more than just military cooperation; it is the foundation of the Republic of Korea's survival and prosperity. Any act that shakes the military, the last bastion of national defense, and the alliance goes beyond security collapse and constitutes treasonous conduct, thus the historical court pronounces impeachment.

Second, we impeach for the responsibility of dismantling the counterintelligence command, which paralyzes the nervous system of national security.

The Ministry of National Defense has recently and unilaterally announced a bizarre reorganization plan to dismantle the Military Counterintelligence Command, which has protected the military's security and secrets for half a century, and to split its functions among various agencies. The interception of espionage activities, the protection of military secrets, and the prevention of defense technology leaks are bulwarks of national survival. 

This anti-security behavior, which paralyzes the counterintelligence system without sufficient verification, causing information gaps and security incapacitation, is a clear dereliction of duty and a violation of the Constitution. While enemy threats are growing stronger and more sophisticated daily, the act of kicking away our security shield is an act that benefits the enemy. Therefore, we impeach without delay in the name of historical justice.

Third, we impeach Ahn Kyu-baek's security collapse for pushing for the "closure of the Korea Military Academy" under the pretext of integrating military academies.

The closure of the Korea Military Academy is a political ploy disguised under the pretexts of "integration" and "efficiency." It is an act of rebellion that denies 80 years of national defense history and intentionally destroys the identity of the military and the cohesion of its officers. It is a destructive operation that wastes enormous state funds through integration, incites regional conflict by selecting the site for the Korea Military Academy, and shakes the foundations of national security by using security as a political card. 

Such anti-state behavior, which aims to drain the spirit of the military and extinguish its independence, cannot be justified by any pretext. It must be judged by the people, and therefore, in the name of historical justice, we impeach Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek.

Fourth, the National Assembly should immediately impeach Ahn Kyu-baek for security collapse based on the impeachment by the historical court.

Minister Ahn Kyu-baek's conduct seriously violates the duties of the Minister of National Defense as stipulated by the Constitution. The National Assembly must immediately launch a parliamentary investigation to thoroughly reveal the background of all policies that have gone against security common sense, including the process of pushing for the transfer of wartime operational control that shook the ROK-US alliance, the behind-the-scenes decisions to dismantle the counterintelligence command, and the conspiracy to close the Korea Military Academy, as well as identify those who issued unconstitutional orders and their accomplices.

Upon confirmation of acts violating laws as specified in Article 65 of the Constitution, the National Assembly must immediately propose an impeachment motion and dismiss Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek. 

There is no partisan division or practice in security. There can be no unreasonable concession in national defense disguised as peace. We command in the name of historical justice and the people to set right the crumbling security of the Republic of Korea and ensure that such a dire security collapse is never repeated. 

We urge for the lawful punishment of the principal culprits who are destroying national security and driving the nation into crisis from positions of power meant to safeguard national security, and all their accomplices who have aided and abetted them. 

June 19, 2026 

By the Server-K Korea Military Academy National Defense Association