Defense ministry mulls setting up integrated military academy in Daejeon

The defense ministry is considering a plan to establish an integrated military academy of the Army, Navy and Air Force in the central city of Daejeon, offering a full four-year education program, military sources said Wednesday.

The ministry has been seeking to newly establish a tentatively named "National Military Academy" by combining the academies of the three military branches in an effort to pool talented future cadets amid a demographic decline.

The potential site for the envisioned school was selected at Jaundae, a compound of military training and education facilities in Daejeon, about 140 kilometers south of Seoul, according to military sources.

The ministry is also reviewing providing a four-year education at the new military academy, while offering cadets courses focused on training specific to their respective branches in their final years.

Initially, the government was considering a plan to have cadets from all branches take common courses during their first two years at the school, before transferring to their respective military academies for branch-specific training.

The m ...