'Jeon (傳) Daewonsu Sangbok'·'Chamjang (Ministerial Level) Formal Attire' and 9 Items
"Rare Artifact Collection Including 'Infantry Unit Formal Attire and Sangbok (Hwangseok)'"
Modern Western-style military uniforms made during the Korean Empire will be designated as Registered Cultural Heritage. These include the ‘Former Grand Marshal’s Formal Uniform,’ ‘Lieutenant General (Ministerial Level) Dress Uniform,’ ‘Infantry Lieutenant Colonel (Field Grade Officer) Formal Uniform,’ ‘Infantry Major (Company Grade Officer) Dress Uniform,’ ‘Infantry Major Dress and Formal Uniform (Hwangseok),’ ‘Cavalry Major Dress and Formal Uniform,’ ‘Military Police Major Dress and Formal Uniform (Hong Cheol-yu),’ and ‘Military Major Dress Uniform.’
On the 12th, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced the preliminary designation of nine modern Western-style military uniform artifacts as Registered Cultural Heritage. The ‘Former Grand Marshal’s Formal Uniform’ was made of black woolen fabric (a textile woven with cotton yarn in plain or twill weave and then brushed to raise the nap). It features collar insignia (clothing collar patches indicating rank on dress uniforms) embroidered with five stars on each side. Eleven rows of sleeve insignia (decorations on the sleeves of military or police uniforms indicating rank) and nine front closure buttons are also notable characteristics.
The ‘Lieutenant General Dress Uniform’ collectively refers to four artifacts. It includes collar insignia embroidered with three stars on each side, a dress uniform with seven rows of sleeve insignia indicating the rank of lieutenant general, a ceremonial hat (예모, yem?) with a plum blossom pattern on the upper part, and a grand ceremony shoulder board made of gold thread. Both the dress uniform and the ceremonial hat were made of black and dark blue woolen fabric.
The ‘Infantry Lieutenant Colonel Formal Uniform’ is in the form of a ribbed jacket (늑골복, neukkolbok) with knot decorations crossing the chest on both sides. It has five rows of sleeve insignia indicating the rank of lieutenant colonel. The fabric is black woolen.
The ‘Infantry Major Dress Uniform’ consists of four artifacts. It includes collar insignia embroidered with one star on each side, a double-breasted dress uniform (a fastening style where the left and right front panels overlap), a ceremonial hat made of black and red woolen fabric, and a grand ceremony shoulder board made of gold thread. The dress uniform has three rows of sleeve insignia indicating the rank of major.
The ‘Infantry Major Dress Uniform’ refers to six artifacts. It includes collar insignia embroidered with one star on each side, jackets made of black and red woolen fabric, ceremonial hats made of black and red woolen fabric, and grand ceremony shoulder boards made of gold thread. The jackets have two rows of sleeve insignia symbolizing the rank of major.
The ‘Infantry Major Dress and Formal Uniform (Hwangseok)’ is the military uniform worn by Hwangseok (1849-1938). Hwangseok was a soldier who joined the army in 1896 upon the recommendation of Min Yeong-hwan and rose to the rank of major. The dress uniform consists of five pieces: collar insignia embroidered with one star on each side, a jacket with two rows of sleeve insignia, a standing front hair ornament (입전모, ipjeonmo) worn on top of the dress uniform hat, a decorative belt (식대, sikdae), and a sword belt (도대, dodae). The formal uniform also includes five pieces: a jacket made of black woolen fabric, a ceremonial hat, and small ceremony shoulder boards. A Cultural Heritage Administration official stated, “Two pairs of trousers, suspenders, and an overcoat have also been preserved,” adding, “It is a rare collection with a variety of types still in existence.”
The ‘Cavalry Major Dress and Formal Uniform’ collectively refers to eight artifacts, including collar insignia embroidered with one star on each side, a dress uniform with three rows of sleeve insignia indicating the rank of senior officer, a ceremonial hat, grand ceremony shoulder boards, and small ceremony shoulder boards.
The ‘Military Police Major Dress and Formal Uniform (Hong Cheol-yu)’ consists of eight pieces of military uniforms worn by Hong Cheol-yu. Hong Cheol-yu graduated from the Army Military Academy in 1900 and served as a military police major in the military police corps with the rank of Jeong 3-pum Tongjeong Daebu (third rank official). The dress uniform jacket was made of brown woolen fabric. It has two rows of sleeve insignia and collar insignia embroidered with one star on each side. The formal uniform includes a brown woolen jacket with two rows of sleeve insignia.
The ‘Military Major Dress Uniform’ jacket was made of woolen fabric mixed with black and dark green. It has two rows of sleeve insignia and collar insignia embroidered with one star on each side.
The Cultural Heritage Administration will collect opinions from various sectors for one month and finalize the designation after review by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee.
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