Myeonje baegab

Myeonje Baegab (면제배갑, 綿製背甲) was a soft bullet-proof vest, invented in the late 1860s in the Joseon Dynasty, modern day Republic of Korea.

It was invented following the French Campaign against Korea, 1866 and used in battle during the United States expedition to Korea 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, 1866, the military of the Joseon Kingdom, at the time using matchlock rifles, experienced the superiority of western rifles. As a result, Heungseon Daewongun, then acting leader of the Joseon Kingdom, ordered the development of bullet-proof armor.

The vests were distributed to soldiers after its creation, and were used in battles fought on Ganghwa Island against United States Navy and Marine forces during the United States expedition to Korea in 1871.

During the battle, the vests were proven to be bullet proof. However, they were easily burnt by fragments from cannon fire; US records indicate that some Korean soldiers caught fire after a cannon attack. Also, the vests were too hot to wear in summer.

The US army captured one of the vests and took it to the US. The vest was stored in the Smithsonian Museum.