[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Attendees of the Military Academy Entrance Ceremony Changed in Half a Day

On the 1st, in celebration of Armed Forces Day, nursing cadets and cadets from the Air Force Academy, Naval Academy, and Army Academy are entering the event venue at Daegu Air Base (11th Fighter Wing) during the '71st Armed Forces Day Ceremony.' /Daegu=Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] The Ministry of National Defense has been criticized for causing confusion by wavering over the number of attendees allowed at the entrance ceremonies of each military academy. Initially, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, parents were barred from attending the entrance ceremonies of the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies, but the plan was later changed.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 13th, each military academy announced on the 12th that the entrance ceremonies would be changed to internal events hosted by the school principals to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and attendance by family members and other outsiders would be restricted. The Navy Academy's ceremony will be held on the 14th, the Air Force Academy on the 17th, and the Army Academy and Army 3rd Academy on the 21st, respectively.

The Ministry of National Defense also stated that for families unable to attend, the entrance ceremonies would be broadcast live via social networking services (SNS) and YouTube. Through the Defense Daily published by the Defense Promotion Agency, the Ministry announced on the 12th that the entrance ceremonies would be streamed on YouTube and Facebook, and that family members or relatives would not be allowed to attend.

However, the stance changed on the afternoon of the 12th. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting that day, "Each ministry and local government should thoroughly prepare quarantine measures and proceed with scheduled events as planned." This means that just half a day after the announcement through the Defense Daily in the morning, parental attendance at the entrance ceremonies was allowed again. The Ministry of National Defense, which had downsized the events to prevent COVID-19, appears to have changed its position in accordance with the government's "economic downturn prevention" policy announced that morning.

Some have pointed out that changing the policy on parental attendance just two days before the Navy Academy entrance ceremony on the 4th may have increased confusion. It is also reported that the number of attendees allowed per cadet has not yet been determined.

The Ministry of National Defense stated, "It is natural for parents to want to attend their child's once-in-a-lifetime entrance ceremony, and there were many requests from parents to attend. We decided to hold the entrance ceremonies after comprehensively reviewing the government's policy to prevent economic downturn due to COVID-19 and the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters' opinion that the risk of infection is low if quarantine measures are strengthened."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.