Graduating officers throw their caps in the air to celebrate at the 80th graduation and commissioning ceremony held at the Korea Military Academy. [Photo: Army]

The proposed integration policy for the military academies, currently being pushed by the government and facing strong backlash from Korea Military Academy (KMA) alumni, will undoubtedly become a "Returning Boomerang" that harms those who initiated it.

It might even deliver a more decisive blow than the repercussions from the "June 3 Local Elections," which are increasingly mired in allegations of electoral fraud.

The current administration is moving towards effectively closing down the KMA by integrating the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies between September 2025 and April 2026. The plan is to establish a new Korea Defense University, integrate the three service academies as separate colleges, house first and second-year students separately from third and fourth-year students, and then relocate the KMA to a provincial area and build apartments on its current site (Hwarangdae).

The KMA Alumni Association, a group of retired officers, has expressed bewilderment and has held two policy diagnostic forums to expose the unjust nature of the government's policy. They have also strongly urged the Ministry of National Defense to reconsider and withdraw the policy and to hold a public hearing for mutual communication.

The first reason why the military academy integration policy is improper is that while the government claims its purpose is to "enhance joint operational capabilities," this disregards the basic military common sense that joint effects only become powerful when the expertise of each service—Army, Navy, and Air Force—is highly advanced.

Furthermore, joint operations are primarily learned from the rank of lieutenant colonel onwards, making it neither urgent nor particularly important for cadets.

Second, Hwarangdae, the home of the KMA, is historically the cradle of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and a sacred site where senior cadets shed blood participating in the Korean War. Losing Hwarangdae, steeped in history and tradition, is tantamount to shattering the pride and honor of KMA cadets and all active and retired officers.

The KMA, relocated to a provincial area, will lead to a decline in the quality of its cadets, and housing students by year level will blur the patriotism and will to defend the nation that has been fostered through mentorship, camaraderie, and rigorous training between senior and junior cadets.

Ultimately, the traditional spirit of loyalty and sacrifice of the KMA, which has been the focal point of national defense and the defense of the liberal democratic system, will be annihilated, and the nation will follow a path of self-destruction by weakening its security by obliterating its final bastion, the elite KMA.

"Tradition and expertise" are the fundamentals of combat power, emphasized even by the epochal military strategist Napoleon. If the academies are integrated, leaving Hwarangdae, this fundamental will be trampled upon. Therefore, KMA alumni cannot help but view this situation as the greatest crisis for national security.

A more significant problem is that the defense authorities evade clear answers to the KMA Alumni Association's legitimate concerns and refuse to provide a forum for discussion such as public hearings. This act brands the current left-leaning government, which has espoused democracy, as the most undemocratic dictatorial regime.

Especially in a matter concerning national security, which is the utmost national interest, proceeding with unilateral enforcement in a dismissive manner, ignoring the process of seeking national consensus, is an act of treating the people's safety with extreme disregard and deserves national judgment.

If the defense authorities continue to ignore the KMA Alumni Association's stance, this policy, in the process of determining its merits, will be unequivocally proven unjust and will face fierce resistance not only from KMA alumni but also from all patriotic citizens.

The KMA Alumni Association's stance against the integration of military academies is firm and unwavering. Unlike the government's political calculations, which aim to uproot the elite educational institution by labeling the KMA as a hotbed of rebellion, the KMA is strictly apolitical.

All KMA alumni will exert their utmost efforts, believing in the righteousness of their cause. This is because from the moment they entered the Korea Military Academy, their views on life in their youth evolved into a view of the nation, and they were armed with a security perspective focused on national interests such as security and defense.

Unlike ordinary citizens, soldiers engaged in the security front repeatedly train to deal with the worst-case scenarios. They have strived to cultivate the split-second judgment necessary not only for victory on the battlefield but also for protecting the lives of their subordinates. Even academic exams during their cadet years were an extension of such training.

Therefore, their thought processes in responding to crises are similar through tacit understanding. This means their capacity for situational judgment, honed through extensive training, has developed rationally. They have complete confidence in their abilities acquired through this process, and that conviction ultimately becomes the strength that protects the Republic of Korea.

Even now, as a seasoned veteran who has left the military, that sentiment remains the same. If the roots of the nation, people, justice, and honor that I embraced for four years in my youth are uprooted, and my entire life loses its meaning, what hesitation would I have? Protecting the KMA will now be the most rewarding mission of my remaining life.

The government authorities who are unilaterally pushing for military academy integration will ultimately be recorded as anti-democratic forces, anti-state forces that damage national defense capabilities against the enemy by annihilating the spiritual strength of the three service academies, that is, as criminals who aid the enemy.

Current military personnel, including KMA alumni, who, willingly or unwillingly, obeyed orders from above, were tried in court as rebels for obeying the president during the 12.12 military coup. Now, the roles of offense and defense will be reversed.

To live today and survive in history tomorrow, those currently in office must do their best. It is time to speak frankly, risking their necks. If not, they must find a justifiable way to quell public opposition to the integration and provide a clear answer to the Alumni Association. The repercussions of this misguided policy will surely return to everyone, if not now, then surely in the not-too-distant future.

Addendum: May this article serve as a warning to policy makers and a source of courage for KMA alumni.

On May 18th, a female member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, who attended the second policy forum diagnosing the military academy integration issue, stated, "This issue is not just a problem for KMA alumni but a matter that should be elevated to a national security issue for the entire nation," and urged, "Please endeavor relentlessly, in accordance with the cadets' creed."

We, the KMA alumni, will follow that word.

◆ Kim Myung-soo (一鼓)

KMA Class of '71 (27th Class)

Retired Army Major

Former Head of North Korean Psychological Warfare Division, Agency for National Security Planning