South Korean defense chief faces desertion claim, reform backlash
July 13 (Asia Today) -- South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back is facing mounting pressure from an allegation that he deserted his military post four decades ago and growing opposition to his plan to consolidate the country's three service academies.
The two controversies have converged, raising questions about whether the Lee Jae Myung administration can maintain momentum behind its broader military reform agenda.
Complaint filed over parliamentary testimony
Kim Young-soo, head of the Korea Institute for Military Rights and a former Navy major, filed a police complaint against Ahn on June 27. The complaint alleges Ahn violated a law governing testimony and evidence before the National Assembly.
At a news conference at the National Assembly on Monday, Kim claimed Ahn left his post without authorization for about seven months while serving as a supplementary-duty soldier with an Army unit in Gochang County in 1984.
Kim also alleged that military police arrested Ahn and detained him for 30 days.
The complaint argues that Ahn gave false testimony during his confirmation hearing in July 2025 when he denied that such incidents had occurred.
The case is being investigated by Yongsan Police Station in Seoul. Police are scheduled to question Kim as the complainant Thursday.
The allegations have not been substantiated and remain under investigation.
Ministry calls allegation "clearly false"
The Defense Ministry rejected the desertion allegation Friday, calling it "clearly false."
According to Ahn and the ministry, he completed his required service and was discharged from supplementary duty in January 1985. He returned to Sungkyunkwan University in March but was told in June that he was required to perform additional service.
The ministry said the issue arose after Ahn's mother served lunch to active-duty soldiers at the request of his company commander. The period during which the incident was internally reviewed was mistakenly omitted from the administrative process when Ahn was initially released from duty, leading to his recall in August.
The ministry said Ahn was never detained or subjected to disciplinary action.
It has declined to publicly release his military service record, however, arguing that disclosing an incorrect 40-year-old document could create further misunderstanding regardless of the underlying facts.
Ahn has said he will seek to have the record corrected after leaving office.
SBS reported Sunday that a small number of ruling-party officials had examined the military records and said they contained no entries related to desertion or detention.
Military academy announcement abruptly postponed
Amid the dispute, the ministry abruptly postponed the scheduled release of its basic plan for establishing a unified armed forces academy. The announcement was canceled about 100 minutes before a briefing Monday.
The proposal calls for jointly selecting cadets for the Army, Navy and Air Force academies. Cadets would receive common instruction during their first two years and service-specific education during their third and fourth years.
The government has also reportedly considered relocating the Korea Military Academy from its current campus in northeastern Seoul to South Jeolla Province.
The ministry attributed the postponement to Ahn's attendance at a presidential meeting and his schedule accompanying President Lee to a NATO summit.
The decision was widely interpreted, however, as a response to strong opposition from retired military organizations and alumni associations.
Academy alumni stage first joint protest
The alumni associations of the Army, Navy and Air Force academies held a rally outside the National Assembly on Wednesday opposing the consolidation plan and the proposed relocation of the Army academy.
It was the first time the three associations had jointly mobilized over the issue.
People Power Party Reps. Han Ki-ho and Lim Jong-deuk, both graduates of the Korea Military Academy, attended the demonstration. They described the proposal as a deterioration of national defense rather than genuine reform and called for it to be reconsidered from the beginning.
Twelve former commanders of the Army Training and Doctrine Command also issued a statement calling for a review of the plan.
The opposition People Power Party has linked the military service allegation with the academy consolidation proposal and called for Ahn's resignation.
Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon has also demanded that Ahn release his military service record.
A public petition seeking Ahn's impeachment had received more than 310,000 signatures as of Sunday.
Thursday's police questioning of the complainant is expected to become the first major turning point in the dispute over Ahn's service history.
The policy battle, however, is unlikely to disappear regardless of the investigation's outcome.
Opposition to consolidating the academies and dismantling the Defense Counterintelligence Command has already developed independently of the allegation against Ahn. The unprecedented joint protest by the three academy alumni associations demonstrates the extent of that resistance.
The ministry's continued refusal to release Ahn's service record is also prolonging the controversy. Its decision to postpone correction procedures until after Ahn leaves office risks allowing the dispute to remain a source of political conflict.
At the same time, treating the military service allegation and the academy reform proposal as a single political issue could undermine a substantive national security debate.
Defense experts familiar with the controversy say the allegation should be investigated according to the law, while the merits of military reform should be debated separately according to the national interest.
-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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