Myeonje baegap (면제배갑, 綿製背甲) was a soft bulletproof vest invented during the

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

in 1867. It was invented following the 1866 military

French expedition to Korea The French expedition to Korea (french: Expédition française en Corée, ) was an 1866 punitive expedition undertaken by the Second French Empire against Joseon Korea in retaliation for the execution of seven French Catholic missionaries. Th ...

and used in battle during the

United States expedition to Korea The United States expedition to Korea, known in Korea as the ''Shinmiyangyo'' () or simply the Korean Expedition, was the first American military action in Korea and took place predominantly on and around Ganghwa Island in 1871. The reason fo ...

in 1871. It was made of between 13 and 30 folds of cotton fabric and covered the upper torso.

Background

During the French Campaign against Korea, the Joseon military, at the time using

matchlock A matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of rope that is touched to the gunpowder by a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or trigger with his finger. Before ...

s, experienced the superiority of Western rifles. As a result, regent

Heungseon Daewongun Heungseon Daewongun (흥선대원군, 興宣大院君, 21 December 1820 – 22 February 1898; ), also known as the Daewongun (대원군, 大院君), Guktaegong (국태공, 國太公, "The Great Archduke") or formally Internal King Heungseon Heon ...

ordered the development of bulletproof armor. The vests were distributed to soldiers after its creation, and were used in battles fought on

Ganghwa Island Ganghwa Island (Hangul ; Hanja ), also known by its native name Ganghwado, is a South Korean island in the estuary of the Han River. It is in the Yellow Sea, off Korea's west coast. The island is separated from Gimpo (on the South Korean mainlan ...

against

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and Marine forces during the 1871 United States expedition to Korea. The US army captured one of the vests and took it to the US. The vest was stored in the Smithsonian until 2007. The vest has since been sent back to Korea and is currently on display to the public in the

National Palace Museum of Korea The National Palace Museum of Korea is a national museum of South Korea located in Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul. History The museum first began as the "Korean Imperial Museum", which was established in September 1908 and was originally located ...

Notes

External links

수자기 특별전
* ttp://www.gogung.go.kr/community/notice_view.jsp?sGbi_gbg_id=ID005&iGbi_gbg_seq=1&iGbi_seq=454 특별전『수자기(帥字旗) - 136년 만의 귀환』, 고궁박물관br>면 30겹 옷으로 대포에 맞선 강화도 조선군 <동아일보>
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myeonje Baegab East Asian armour Military equipment of Korea Law enforcement equipment Law enforcement uniforms