The Nation's First Personal Firearm: The 'Jochong' Received by Joseon King Seonjo

M1 Carbine rifle supplied in 1948 when the Republic of Korea Army was established

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] In 1591, one year before the Imjin War, King Seonjo of Joseon received a gift: a matchlock gun from the lord of Tsushima Island. At that time, Seonjo did not recognize the power of the matchlock gun. However, during the Imjin War, as the Joseon army suffered consecutive defeats against Japanese forces armed with matchlock guns, the effectiveness of personal firearms became apparent.

Korea began using gunpowder and developing rifles during the reign of King Seonjo of Joseon. The rifle developed at that time was the Seungja Chongtong. The rifle took on a more complete form after the Imjin War in the 1600s, when Korea imitated the Japanese matchlock gun. The matchlock gun operates by placing gunpowder inside the barrel and pulling the trigger, which causes a lit match cord to ignite the powder pan, firing the shot. Although TV dramas and movies often depict the matchlock’s lit match cord burning like a fuse to fire, in reality, the lit match cord ignites the powder pan to discharge the shot.

The first rifles held by the Korean military were the Type 38 and Type 99 rifles confiscated from the Japanese army by the U.S. military immediately after liberation. After the establishment of the Republic of Korea Army in 1948, the M1 Carbine was distributed. Former President Park Chung-hee, a military officer, established the Jopyeongchang (Arms Factory) under the Ministry of National Defense, promoting self-reliant national defense. This was due to the deep regret of fighting the Korean War without a single rifle made by Korean hands. Jopyeongchang signed an agreement with Colt in the U.S. and accumulated know-how by producing the M16 rifle. Later, in 1981, Jopyeongchang was privatized as Daewoo Precision Industries (now SNT Motiv), accelerating rifle development. The first independently developed and produced weapon, the ‘K1 submachine gun,’ was also supplied to the Korean military. From 1984, the Korean standard rifle ‘K2’ began replacing the M16 in frontline units. In addition, the K-series submachine guns and rifles?including K-1, K-2, K-3, K-4, K-5, K-6, K-7, K-11, and K-12?as well as machine guns and pistols, are produced.