Forty-six former chiefs of staff from each service said in a statement on the 6th that they "strongly urge the government to reconsider the push to integrate the three service academies."

They said, "Even now, the government should not pursue the physical consolidation of the academies, but instead prepare fundamental development plans that elevate the pride and honor of junior officers and attract outstanding talent to the military. The logic for integration presented by the government is a contradiction that does not add up," adding, "Conducting education together in the same location does not produce jointness, and integration will not cut the budget but require astronomical spending."

Lee Jae-myung, the president, speaks at the second briefing by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Unification, Ministry of National Defense, and Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs held at the Blue House State Guest House on the 5th./Courtesy of News1

They continued, "Generalizing the political involvement of some officers from a particular service academy to a problem of the entire alma mater, and presenting academy integration as the remedy, is a mismatch of diagnosis and prescription," adding, "The push for academy integration deepens concerns that it is being pursued for political reasons."

President Lee Jae-myung said during a Ministry of National Defense briefing the previous day, "The center of no fewer than three military coups in Korea was the Korea Military Academy, and responsibility was never pursued. Couldn't it happen again in the future?" adding, "We must make it structurally impossible going forward."

According to participants, 26 chiefs of staff from the three services met at the Air Force Hotel in Seoul and agreed on this position, and former chiefs of staff who did not attend expressed their intention to co-sign. It is said to be the first time that former chiefs of staff from the three services have issued a joint statement on government policy.

The Ministry of National Defense last month announced the basic plan to establish the Armed Forces Academy, a four-year institution integrating the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies, at Jauwondae in Daejeon. The Ministry of National Defense plans to hold a public hearing on the establishment of the Armed Forces Academy on the 26th of this month to gather opinions from various sectors and to announce detailed plans around Oct.

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