▲ A participant holding a water bottle is stopped by officials as he approaches Deputy Defense Minister for Policy Kim Hong-cheol (back) in protest of the government's plan to consolidate three military academies during a public hearing on the proposal at the Korea Defense Convention Center in Yongsan, Seoul, on Aug. 26, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- 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 opinions," ministry spokesperson Chung Binna said in a regular press briefing, when asked to comment on the hearing.

"We will listen more attentively to various opinions to ensure a smooth process for the envisioned consolidation of the military academies," she said.

The government also plans to hold policy briefings for different groups and stakeholders so that it can present a more refined final blueprint for the proposal in October, she added.

The government has cited changing modern warfare driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and a demographic cliff as key rationales to unify the military academies into a single institution, among other reasons.

The ministry initially planned to hold the public hearing earlier this month, but the plan was pushed back amid the mounting opposition.

An Army academy graduate and military expert with the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy resigned Thursday after speaking at the hearing as a pro-merger panelist, according to people familiar with the matter.

The think tank had reportedly received a deluge of complaints from the Army's alumni association for allowing his participation at the hearing in support of the government.

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