President Lee: "The Korea Military Academy Was at the Center of Three Coups... It Could Happen Again"

[Financial News] President Lee Jae Myung said on the 5th, in connection with the controversy over establishing a unified National Armed Forces Academy, that "the Korea Military Academy was at the center of no fewer than three coups, yet no one was ever held accountable."
At the ministry briefing held that day at the Yeongbingwan State Guest House, Lee said, "How many military coups have there been in the Republic of Korea?" and added, "They were all carried out by the ROKA, and by KMA graduates."
He went on to say, "Was anyone ever held accountable for that?" and noted, "It could happen again in the future."
He also referred to the recent attempt at a military-led coup. Lee stressed, "The Republic of Korea has democratized and become an advanced country watched by the whole world, yet who would have imagined that Army generals would join forces to stage a military coup?" He added, "We must structurally make sure this can never happen again."
He also raised concerns about the share of KMA graduates in senior military posts. When Lee asked about the proportion of generals from the KMA, Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-back replied, "It is more than half."
Lee said, "Among the overall force and lower-ranking officers, there are not many KMA graduates, but as you go up the ranks, don't they almost monopolize everything?" He added, "They committed the act of launching military coups and destroying the constitutional order twice, yet they still held overwhelming positions. So they do it again."
He continued, "The core center was the Korea Military Academy, but no one was ever held accountable," and added, "This is not something to brush aside as if it is already in the past and has been suppressed."
Lee also emphasized that a unified National Armed Forces Academy could ease the structure in which officers from a single branch dominate the military leadership. He said, "If we unify them, won't that reduce this possibility?" and added, "We must eliminate any chance that some group could band together and commit an unforgivable act."
He said, "It is not because people are bad, but because when opportunities and incentives are given, they can be tempted," and added, "We absolutely need a rational education system that makes that impossible."
The Ministry of National Defense is pushing to establish a National Armed Forces Academy that would admit cadets from the Army, Navy, and Air Force together, provide common education at the beginning, and then offer branch-specific training. The People Power Party and the alumni associations of the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies have opposed the plan, saying it could undermine each branch's expertise and traditions.
Lee told the Ministry of National Defense that it must "fully explain the current situation to the public" and urged it to "move quickly and forcefully." When Ahn mentioned the difficulties in the process, Lee replied, "What reform in the world is easy?"
[email protected] Reporter Seong Seok-woo Reporter