By Lee Han-soo



Three Korea Military Academy (KMA) cadets were expelled a day before their graduation for allegedly visiting prostitutes, the elite school said on Friday.

"We received intelligence regarding their illegal activity on Monday and it was proven grounded through an internal investigation," a KMA official said.

The official said the three visited a "massage parlor" in Gangnam, an entertainment district in southern Seoul, on Feb. 4. "One of the cadets admitted having sex there, while the others claim they didn't, arguing they paid money but didn't (have sex) out of a sense of guilt," the official said.

A separate police investigation is under way, the official said.

The KMA had it 73rd commencement on Friday with 248 graduates who will be commissioned as Army second lieutenants. The highest distinction, summa cum laude, went to female cadet Lee Eun-ae.