During the December 3 martial law incident in South Korea, most of the generals involved were graduates of the Korea Military Academy (KMA), and many academy officers were disillusioned.
A junior officer, currently serving as a commissioned officer and a KMA graduate, shared, “I saw the generals being scolded and criticized at the National Assembly. Seeing those I had looked up to as role models disgraced was humiliating and devastating. As a fellow soldier, I felt ashamed.”
Reports compiled by *News1* on Monday revealed that many key figures involved in the incident, including former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun (38th graduating class), said to have proposed martial law to President Yoon Suk Yeol, are KMA graduates.
General Park An Su (46th graduating class), who served as the martial law commander, and former Military Counterintelligence Commander Yeo In Hyeong (48th graduating class), who allegedly ordered the arrest of key figures and the seizure of the National Election Commission servers, are also KMA alumni.
Former Special Warfare Command Commander Gwak Jong Geun (47th graduating class) and former Capital Defense Command Commander Lee Jin Woo (48th graduating class), who sent troops to the National Assembly, also come from the KMA.
The junior officer added, “Even among my peers, there are cynical reactions. Particularly after hearing reports that former Defense Minister Kim attempted to take his own life, many criticized him as being irresponsible.”
Another junior officer, a KMA graduate, noted, “The atmosphere has been chaotic since the martial law incident.” Some graduating classes have reportedly shut down their group chats on social media platforms and are avoiding contact.
There were also discussions about the challenges of refusing orders in the military, given its vertical structure. The officer said, “Whether someone is from KMA or ROTC, I question if anyone in that position could refuse a command and say this is illegal once a decision has been made.”
The second officer reflected, “In a way, soldiers are vulnerable to being used as pawns. Our duty is to carry out assigned tasks, and exercising personal judgment within that framework often feels like an unattainable luxury.”