• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.1259-1270
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• 2024

The Korean Independence Army (KIA) played a crucial role in the struggle for independence from imperial Japan. Its rank insignia were essential for signifying its status as a regular military force. While previous studies have examined their regulation, the insignia served various purposes, and some have been neglected. This study conducts a comprehensive analysis of the KIA's rank insignia to clarify their forms and uses, drawing on relevant regulations, literary sources, photographs, and artifacts. The insignia used by the KIA, derived from the Army of the Chinese Nationalist Government, were identified and examined. The study found that high-ranking officers and those from the KIA's 3^rd branch wore collar insignia, and identification patches were more commonly used. The KIA established the Army Insignia Protocol independently, but discrepancies occurred between the shoulder patches designed and those worn, indicating that they were likely used by high-ranking officers during ceremonies. This study found that the 3^rd company of the KIA's 1^st branch wore unique, self-made rank insignia that differed from the others. The study provides a framework for dating KIA photographs and verifying the authenticity of military artifacts, enabling more accurate portrayals of the KIA in the media.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.684-695
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• 2023

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.