President Lee Jae-myung emphasized two key priorities to newly commissioned officers on Tuesday: self-reliant defense and clearing the remnants of the illegal martial law.
The message came a day after former President Yoon Suk-yeol was sentenced to life imprisonment on insurrection charges, calling for the military—which was at the center of the martial law crisis—to sever ties with its past and be reborn as "the people's military."
"We must be armed with a strong commitment to self-reliant defense, protecting our country with our own strength," President Lee said at the joint commissioning ceremony for the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies held at Gyeryongdae military headquarters in South Chungcheong Province.
"The Republic of Korea possesses stronger defense capabilities than ever before," he continued. "Some remain trapped in dependent thinking that self-reliant defense is impossible. Such outdated perceptions and attitudes must be sent to the museum of a bygone era."
The president outlined specific measures to strengthen defense capabilities, stressing the need to build a "smart elite military that always wins."
"Without proactively preparing for future warfare featuring advanced artificial intelligence and manned-unmanned combined systems, there is no future for self-reliant defense," he said. "The government will spare no investment, including the introduction of cutting-edge weapons systems."
President Lee also called for reflection on the emergency martial law incident under the previous administration.
"Let us completely clear the remnants of the illegal martial law and build a Korean military faithful to its original mission and role," he said. "The military must thoroughly reflect on and sever ties with its past wrongdoings, and be reborn as a true 'people's military' that serves only the sovereign people."
The ceremony was attended by 558 newly commissioned officers and approximately 2,000 family members and guests. President Lee personally awarded medals to three top honor graduates and pinned rank insignia on the shoulders of four commissioning representatives.
Military observers noted President Lee's attendance at this joint ceremony as significant. While joint commissioning ceremonies including five military academies and ROTC were held from 2011 to 2017, this marks the first joint ceremony exclusively for the three main service academies.
The event is interpreted as a signal for the president's campaign pledge and state agenda to integrate the military academies. During his candidacy, Lee proposed phased integration of military educational institutions to overcome inter-service parochialism and strengthen joint operations.
"Going forward, we will integrate the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies to more systematically cultivate defense talent who will lead future battlefields," President Lee declared.
On the same day, President Lee attended the graduation ceremony at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), a move seen as differentiating his administration from his predecessor's.
"We are devoting all our efforts to restoring the research ecosystem that collapsed due to R&D budget cuts under the previous government," he told graduates. "It is now your turn to become protagonists of new history. Please lead the way in this great transformation."
The Yoon administration had cut the 2024 national R&D budget by 16 percent year-on-year to 26.5 trillion won. The Lee administration subsequently expanded this year's R&D budget to 35.5 trillion won.
"The AI college newly established at KAIST will serve as an important foundation for achieving our vision of becoming one of the world's top three AI powers," President Lee said. "We will spare no support."
The KAIST ceremony also held symbolic significance as the site of the controversial "mouth-covering incident" in 2024, when presidential security officials forcibly removed a graduate protesting R&D budget cuts during former President Yoon's attendance.
President Lee presented a contrasting image, exchanging high-fives and handshakes with graduates upon entering the venue, and taking photos with students after personally conferring degrees to representative graduates.
A total of 3,334 students received degrees at the ceremony, including 725 bachelor's, 1,792 master's, and 817 doctoral graduates.