A Study on the Military Uniforms of the Korean Volunteer Corps and the 1st Branch of the Korean Independence Army

초록

The Korean Volunteer Corps (KVC) and the Korean Independence Army (KIA) were Korea’s main armed forces that led the independence movement against Japan. KVC members were partly merged into the KIA as the army’s first branch in 1942. This study examines two different styles of KVC military uniforms: one that complies with the Uniforms Act of the Army of the Chinese Nationalist government and one that uses the same style without a field cap and a belt. The KIA’s first branch had three different uniforms: one similar to that of the KVC, one belonging to the KIA and following the Army Uniform Protocol, and one influenced by the U.S. Army. The KVC and the KIA’s first branches had insignias representing their identity. The former wore a distinctive insignia with the corps’ name, whereas the latter had a cap badge with Korean national symbols under the Army Insignia Protocol. KVC members who may have initially worn their previous uniform in the early days of joining the KIA later adopted the KIA style. This study is expected to offer basic resources to reproduce KVC and KIA military uniforms and verify the authenticity of related artifacts. © 2023 © 2023, The Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles. All rights reserved.

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