Myeonje Baegab

Myeonje Baegab (면제 배갑, 綿 製 背 甲) is the name of a soft bulletproof vest, invented in the 1860s during the Joseon dynasty in present-day Korea.

It was invented as a consequence of the French campaign against Korea of ​​1866 and used in 1871 in battle during the United States Expedition to Korea. It was made of about 13 to 30 layers of cotton cloth and covered the upper torso. Background During the French campaign against Korea in 1866, the military of the Joseon kingdom, which at that time used wrist-mounted rifles, suffered from the superiority of Western rifles. Therefore, Heungseon Daewongun, then leader of the Joseon kingdom, ordered to develop a bulletproof armor. The vests were distributed among the soldiers, and were used during battles fought on Ganghwa Island against the United States navy during the United States Expedition to Korea in 1871.

During the battle, the vests proved to be bullet-proof. However, they took fire easily when they were hit by fragments of cannonballs; US government records indicate that some Korean soldiers were set on fire after a cannon attack. In addition, the vests were too warm for use during the summer.

The United States Army captured one of these vests and sent it to the United States where it was eventually ceded to the Smithsonian.

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