Seoul seeks better public input after disrupted hearing on military academy plan

The defense ministry said Thursday it will consider more effective ways to gather public input on its plan to merge three military academies, after the first hearing on the proposal ended in a complete shambles.

The ministry-hosted hearing descended into bedlam on Wednesday as angry alumni and cadets opposing the plan engaged in shouting matches to vent their objections, booing and hurling invectives at a senior ministry official who came to brief them on the merger plan.

The disruption marred the first public hearing held since the government unveiled its basic plan last month to consolidate the military academies of the Army, Navy and Air Force, a key policy drive of the Lee Jae Myung administration.

The move, however, has faced fierce pushback from the alumni groups and other opponents who see the plan as a politically motivated attempt to undermine the military, especially the Army, over its role in two military coups in the past and the short-lived martial law imposition in December 2024 by former President Yoon Suk Yeol. "We are considering better ways for the public to voice their