South Korea said Thursday it is preparing to launch a special academy to train civilian experts in the defense acquisition field as part of efforts to weed out corruption by relevant military officers.
  

The move is one of the key measures Seoul's arms procurement agency put forth in the wake of corruptive cases involving its personnel mainly caused by cozy ties between businesses and former and current service personnel.
  

"We are drawing up concrete plans, including funding schemes, to establish the training institution," said an official at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. "With an aim to foster professionals, the envisioned entity will be modeled after the Defense Acquisition University in the United States."
  

Established in 1992, the DAU trains some 150,000 military and civilian defense ministry personnel in the fields of acquisition, technology and logistics, according to its website.
  

Since 2010, the DAPA has operated a tiny training center with four professors that focuses more on short-term programs rather than providing in-depth knowledge and information.
  

The DAPA has campaigned to cut the number of active-duty personnel serving in the agency by 100 per year until 2017, which will bring down their ratio from the current 50 percent to 30 percent of the total.
  

"The new organization is expected to play a key role in cultivating civilian experts who will sustain effective and affordable war-fighting capabilities. More specialized personnel with different backgrounds would help prevent corruption in the field," DAPA spokesman Kim Si-cheol said. (Yonhap)