Ministry defends revision of military academy plan as efforts to increase public's acceptance

SEOUL, Nov. 12 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministry said Thursday that a proposed revision to its original plan to merge the Army, Air Force and Navy academies into a unified institution is part of a process to increase public acceptance of the plan and its "completeness."

The ministry recently briefed the National Assembly on the revised plan that calls for creating a joint military academy in the central city of Daejeon while retaining the academies of the Navy and Air Force in the southern county of Jinhae and the central city of Cheongju, respectively, and relocating the Army academy to the central Chungcheong region.

It initially sought to consolidate the three academies into a unified school to strengthen inter-service cooperation and improve the efficiency of cadet education -- a plan that drew opposition from academy alumni, opposition lawmakers, and residents of Jinhae and Cheongju.

"(The revision) is part of a process to increase public acceptance of the policy and its completeness," Chung Binna, the ministry's spokesperson, said during a press briefing.

"We will explain the revised plan once it is finalized. Going forward, we will have to gather various opinions in the process of enacting the law (to establish the joint academy) and crafting its enforcement decree. So the opinion collection process will continue," she added.

Chung's mention of "public acceptance" apparently signaled the ministry's openness to making adjustments to accommodate more views of those opposing the plan.

However, Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul told parliament the previous day that the revision is "neither a retreat nor a compromise."

The ministry is said to have reported to the National Assembly that the revised plan is estimated to cost around 1.5 trillion won (US$1.1 billion), down from the original estimate of 2.7 trillion won.

The actual budget for the plan will be determined after a preliminary study on it, according to the spokesperson.

"We are working to craft the revised plan in a way that ensures investment for future generations but minimizes and reduces costs."