Lee calls for faster military academy merger, citing three coups by Korea Military Academy graduates

President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday called for the accelerated consolidation of the country's military academies, saying Korea Military Academy graduates had staged three coups without ever being held accountable and warning that another attempt could come.

Speaking at a Ministry of National Defense briefing held at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee said it was unthinkable that generals would join a military coup in a country that had democratized and earned recognition as an advanced nation. "We must prevent this from ever happening again — structurally, absolutely," he said.

The remarks came as the proposed merger of the military academies has faced resistance, with Lee invoking the history of military coups to press for faster reform.

Lee also raised the question of how many senior generals were Korea Military Academy graduates. After a Defense Ministry official answered that the figure was 375, Lee said, "Korea Military Academy graduates make up a small share of lower-ranking officers, but the higher you go, the more Korea Military Academy dominates."

He went on to say that despite having carried out three coups and dismantling the constitutional order, Korea Military Academy graduates had continued to hold overwhelmingly dominant positions in the military. "That is why it happens again," he said.

Lee also referenced the Dec. 3 emergency martial law declared under former President Yoon Suk Yeol, saying that if it had not been stopped, army captains would have been sent to community centers to monitor residents from behind desks, just as in the past, and media outlets would have faced censorship. "The Korea Military Academy was at the core of all of that, yet it has never once been held responsible," he said.

"This is not something to brush aside just because it is in the past and was suppressed," Lee added. Defense Minister Ahn said in response that he would pursue the reforms "with a sense of responsibility."

Lee also directed officials to compare countries that train their army, navy and air force academy cadets separately with those that use an integrated system, saying the public needed to be fully informed and brought to understand the current situation.

When Minister Ahn said he would press ahead through persuasion and public understanding "until the people say it is enough," while acknowledging the process was difficult, Lee pushed back. "What reform is ever easy? Do it swiftly and forcefully. The pace of progress is not quite there. Let's move faster," he said.