Graduates of the Korea Military Academy (KMA) have effectively monopolized the posts of branch chief, the most senior positions in the Army's technical, administrative, and special branches such as air defense, ordnance, logistics, and transportation.
Among all Army officers commissioned as second lieutenants each year, KMA graduates account for less than 5 percent. Yet because the proportion of those promoted rises sharply toward the higher officer ranks, KMA graduates have come to dominate the branch chief posts that serve as the most senior positions in each branch.
The promotion rate to general officer, centered on combat branches, has been far higher for KMA graduates than for those from other backgrounds — such as ROTC, Officer Candidate School, and the Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon (KAAY) — fueling controversy over fairness. The findings confirm the criticism that the concentration of KMA graduates is so severe even in branch chief posts of the technical, administrative, and special branches that officers from other backgrounds within the Army are being marginalized.
According to the "Status of Army Branch Chief Backgrounds Over the Past 10 Years (2016–2025)" data submitted by the Ministry of National Defense to the office of Rep. Yoo Yong-weon of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, on Thursday, a total of 92 officers were appointed to branch chief posts across the 16 technical, administrative, and special branches over the past decade. Of these, 72 were KMA graduates.
Among the air defense, CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear), ordnance, medical, and dental corps, there was not a single officer from other backgrounds. There was one each in the engineer, quartermaster, and transportation branches, and two each in the signal, aviation, personnel, military police, finance, public affairs, and administration corps.
In the highly specialized veterinary corps, there was not a single KMA graduate, with only ROTC and Officer Candidate School officers appearing. As a result, KMA graduates accounted for 78.3 percent of branch chiefs. That means roughly 8 out of 10 were KMA graduates. The judge advocate, chaplain, and nursing corps were excluded, as they are filled by officers from backgrounds such as judge advocates, clergy, and nursing academy graduates.
Rep. Yoo said, "Personnel appointments centered on a specific background undermine the military's flexibility and diversity, and can deal deep frustration to the many officers from other backgrounds who quietly devote themselves in the field." He added, "Opportunities must be guaranteed for outstanding talent from diverse backgrounds — the Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon, ROTC, Officer Candidate School, and female officers — to grow into branch chiefs without discrimination."
Regarding the concentration of KMA graduates in branch chief posts, an Army official said, "We select and appoint branch chiefs in accordance with the Military Personnel Management Act and officer personnel management regulations." The official added, "Without distinction as to specific background, we select and manage them fairly and objectively in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations, comprehensively considering job experience, expertise, and career within the relevant branch."
The dominance of KMA graduates in branch chief posts is attributed to the fact that the proportion of KMA graduates among those promoted rises sharply toward the higher officer ranks. As a result, a reversal has emerged in which the proportion of promotions among non-KMA officers drops significantly.
Last year, the proportion of KMA graduates promoted from major to lieutenant colonel was 25.3 percent, lower than the 74.7 percent from other backgrounds. However, in promotions from lieutenant colonel to colonel, the KMA share nearly doubled to 55.4 percent, while the share from other backgrounds fell by about half to 44.6 percent.
Because of this, the overall share of KMA graduates rises sharply as rank increases, elevating the KMA to the Army's core group. At the company-grade officer level, the KMA share is 15 percent, but it expands to 45 percent at the field-grade level and about 75 percent at the general officer level. ROTC, Officer Candidate School, and the Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon combined make up about 25 percent. This is why sneers call it not an Army but an "Academy Army."
As KMA graduates expand their share of high-ranking officer posts in this way, the general officer promotion rate has naturally risen in absolute terms. It is effectively a KMA monopoly. Over the past 10 years (2015–2024), the rate at which KMA graduates advanced to Army general officer was 73.9 percent. By contrast, the rate for officers from other backgrounds stood at just 26.1 percent.
An official of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee said, "As KMA general officers effectively control the Army's command structure, more of the branch chiefs who serve as staff officers also become KMA graduates." The official pointed out, "A concentration in which a specific background monopolizes positions can trigger controversy over fairness in military personnel decisions and lower morale within the military."
