Cadets of the Army, Navy and Air Force academies attend a joint commissioning ceremony at Gyeryongdae, South Korea's main military compound, in Gyeryong, central South Korea, 20 February 2026. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
July 26 (Asia Today) -- South Korea is considering a structural overhaul of its military academies as declining applications, rising withdrawal rates and worsening junior-officer retention raise concerns about the sustainability of the current training system.
A study by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses estimated that the government spends about 270 million won ($182,800) to educate and train each Korea Military Academy cadet over four years.
That is about 12.5% more than the estimated four-year education expenditure of 240 million won ($162,500) per student at Seoul National University, according to research materials obtained by Asia Today.
The estimated military academy cost is also substantially higher than the four-year expenditures cited for major private universities.
