The Ministry of Defense has initiated a survey targeting cadets from the Army, Navy, and Air Force to supplement the basic plan for establishing the National Military Academy. The survey aims to gather direct feedback from cadets on maintaining military expertise and traditions.
A ministry official announced on November 13 that the online survey will be conducted over five days, concluding on November 17. Approximately 2,350 cadets from the first to fourth years of the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies will participate. However, about 100 fourth-year cadets from the Naval Academy, currently on a training cruise, will be excluded from the survey.
The survey consists of four open-ended questions: suggestions for enhancing educational capabilities at the academies, essential elements for preserving military traditions and expertise, interest in graduate programs and preferred majors, and considerations for establishing the National Military Academy. Cadets will be able to express their opinions freely.
Participants must access the survey link and provide their affiliation, year, department, and student ID to ensure the integrity of the survey and prevent outside interference.
To protect the anonymity of respondents, the results will be compiled by the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis (KIDA). The Ministry of Defense will only receive results with personal identifiers removed, and a comprehensive analysis will be made public.
This survey follows a commitment made by Minister of Defense Kang Shin-cheol during a meeting with cadets on November 10, where he emphasized the importance of cadet perspectives. “The cadets’ views are the most important,” he stated.
The Ministry of Defense has responded to criticisms suggesting that it predetermined the relocation of the Army Academy while excluding input from the military branches. A ministry official stated that such claims are “not true” and emphasized that they are exploring the optimal establishment plan. The official added that they will incorporate various opinions, including those from military chiefs, cadet meetings, expert consultations, and discussions with the ruling party, to refine and finalize the basic plan in collaboration with the military branches.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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