Ministry of National Defense Pushes to Establish ‘Armed Forces Academy’ ... Minister Kang Shin-cheol: “Plans to Pursue Abolition of Special Military Service Provisions”

[Financial News] The Ministry of National Defense is moving to flesh out plans to integrate the Army, Navy and Air Force academies by establishing a dedicated body, the Armed Forces Academy Establishment Promotion Task Force, and beginning the process of enacting a law to establish the academy. Minister of National Defense Kang Shin-cheol expressed regret over the controversy surrounding the disparagement of military service obligations, sparked by remarks from some athletes at the recent Asian Games, and said he plans to gradually scale back the special military service system, including for arts and sports personnel, with the ultimate goal of abolishing it entirely.
According to the Ministry of National Defense’s work briefing at the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea’s audit of the ministry on the 7th, military authorities plan to establish the Armed Forces Academy Establishment Promotion Task Force and expedite enactment of the Armed Forces Academy Establishment Act to flesh out plans for an integrated academy combining the service academies. The ministry said it would draw up detailed plans after building public consensus and gathering a broad range of opinions. The integration is one of President Lee Jae-myung’s campaign pledges and national policy tasks, and is intended to strengthen jointness across the armed forces through the launch of a unified academy.
According to the basic plan announced by the Ministry of National Defense on July 16, the integrated Armed Forces Academy is to be established as a four-year institution at the Jaun military complex in Daejeon. It will have faculties for the Army, Navy and Air Force. First- and second-year students will take advanced common courses, including artificial intelligence (AI) and joint operations, followed by specialized training for each service in their third and fourth years. The plan also includes improvements to the educational environment, such as having civilian professors make up at least 50% of the faculty and building a smart campus, to promote greater autonomy and diversity in academy education.
Alongside reform of the officer training system, the question of whether to retain or abolish the special military service system—which has been criticized for undermining fairness in military service—came under scrutiny at the audit. Minister Kang Shin-cheol expressed regret when Rep. Yoo Yong-won of the People Power Party asked for his position on service-related remarks and conduct by some members of the men’s national soccer team, which recently won gold at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Some players on the national soccer team had earlier caused an uproar by saying in interviews, “I played the game with only a military exemption in mind.” They also posted photos of their discharge caps on social media and continued making remarks suggesting they expected to be exempted from military service, prompting public criticism that they had treated their duty to serve too lightly.
In response, Minister Kang said, “The Ministry of National Defense aims to gradually scale back the special military service system and ultimately abolish it.” The ministry had also announced the previous day that it would include a plan to reduce and abolish supplementary service, including the category for arts and sports personnel, in its new basic plan for defense reform. Ministry spokesperson Jeong Bit-na likewise described the measure as “one that comprehensively takes into account fairness and equity among those liable for military service, the shrinking pool of eligible military personnel, and public consensus,” and reiterated that the spokesperson’s office deeply regretted some inappropriate remarks and conduct.

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