PPP leader Jang opposes military academy merger, says Defense Ministry 'unconvincing'

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok said Friday that the government's plan to consolidate the three military service academies "has no justification."

Jang made the remarks during a visit to the Naval Academy in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, saying he had attended "numerous forums, briefings and meetings" on the issue but had "not once heard a convincing position from the Ministry of National Defense."

Five fellow PPP lawmakers — Kang Seon-yeong, Kim Jang-gyeom, Park Sang-ung, Park Chung-kwon and Lee Jong-uk — accompanied him on the visit.

"Naval cadets entered this academy with a sense of mission and honor, and they are training hard right now to defend Korea's seas," Jang said. "I believe the Lee Jae Myung government is stripping away every bit of that mission and honor."

Jang said any attempt to relocate the Naval Academy "without justification or practical benefit" amounted to "an attempt to undermine South Korea's national defense." He noted that the academy is marking its 80th anniversary this year, having been established in 1946 as the first and oldest of the country's military service academies.

"It is no coincidence that the Republic of Korea Navy has come to possess one of the world's top-tier capabilities," he said. "That development was made possible by the Naval Academy's tradition and dedication in producing strong officers to guard the seas."

Jang expressed concern that a merger would result in the academy being relocated to Jaundae, an inland military complex. "Navy officers risk their lives at sea. They learn by facing waves and wind, spending nights aboard ships — the importance of that hands-on, at-sea education cannot be overstated," he said. "Yet the plan is to train naval officers at Jaundae, a place with no ocean."

"It is no different from saying you will develop soccer players without a field," he added. "Looking out at the sea before us only deepens my conviction that this is exactly where the Naval Academy belongs."

Jang directed his criticism at the government. "A single administration with a five-year term cannot simply shut down an institution that has built 80 years of history," he said. "Shouldn't we first listen to those directly affected? Some 91.3 percent of cadets oppose the consolidation."

"What exactly is this for, and for whom? What is the rush?" he said. "Why are they trying to dismantle an 80-year educational tradition in such haste?"

He added that cadets who sail the seas and train freely, waking up each morning to the sight of the ocean, would naturally develop patriotism on their own.

Jang vowed that the PPP would "work together with the people to stop this hasty, unilateral push to consolidate the military academies."