• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.56 no.9 s.109
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• pp.143-156
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to analyze changes in military uniform design according to the type of war in history and to suggest factors to be considered when designing military uniforms. Military uniform in this study has been limited to uniforms of land active soldiers and not only includes battle dress but also bombproof helmets, combat boots and webbing systems. Western military uniform was investigated starting from World War I focusing on the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and the Soviet Union, and Korean military uniform was analyzed starting from the Korean Day of Independence. Historical research, case studies and in-depth interviews were included in the study. World War I was a trench war. Khaki colors began to be used in battle dress, and steel helmets and gas masks were invented. World War II was a full-stale war. Many kinds of uniform were designed with various environments and roles of soldiers in mind, and camouflage was adopted in military uniform. Modern wars were wars of technique. Strong protectors were invented and diverse camouflages were adopted as rifles became increasingly accurate and biochemical weapons started to be used. Korea referred largely to the uniforms of the United States because it lacked both information on war and the financial power to invest in development of military uniforms. Finally, this study presents 5 factors to be considered when designing military uniforms: protection, camouflage, mobile and utility convenience, compatibility and symbolism. Wars of the future are predicted to be information wars utilizing realtime information collected through computers. Therefore new military uniforms with computers, communication devices and strong protective capacities need to be developed. This study aims to provide a theoretical basis for designing military uniforms of the future.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.44
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• pp.19-36
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• 1999

A military uniform has two basic characters. One is functionality for field warfare and the other is decorativeness to express dignity and power to maintain systematic organization. For these purposes, the military uniform is maximizing its effects on functionality and decorativeness on each aspects of material, color, dignity, item, military ornaments and accessories. During wartime, the military uniform improved its functionality and gave much influence on normal clothing at the same time either directly or indirectly. Military look became more diverse. In a mood for the end of century and inflated material civilization, and with nostalgia for the fast, mixed styles of fast, presents and future have come out in variety. In Street Fashion, there are many alternative trends to meet diverse desires of teenagers, and the military look has been steadily favored. The functionality and the decorativeness of military look would have met fashion sense and taste of younger generations pretty well. First, teenagers are active, and the practical materials and functional designs of military style applied to their clothes. Second, they prefer challenging and creative styles, and the decorative elements of military clothing for the colors, patterns, accessories have been applied to they clothing. We may need to understand their culture and emotion more closely and help them enjoy sound and beautiful clothing culture. The military uniform adapted itself to natural and social environments and has been developed and improved, which made that possible.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Emotion and Sensibility Conference
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.106-109
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• 2008

The aim of this study is to develop a model of layering system for future soldier system. Future soldier has been supposed to carry various digital devices embedded into the combat uniform. The combat uniform must be developed to be fit to soldier's body and movement, and can be felt comfortable to soldier. The Uniform must be studied in ergonomic and physiological component because it is different from the present one. It has many devices inside, so there are some unknown barriers to set the devices on to the body. For making the ergonomic aspect of future combat suits clear, the movement of the body was researched. The size of arms(3 parts), torsos(4 parts), and legs(3 parts) of people were measured by movement. Many dots were drawn on the testees' bodies every 3cm. Each time they made compulsory poses, the distances between dots be measured and analyzed. For making the physiological aspect of future combat suits clear, the thermo-map and sweating map of body were made. The 3 maps - movement, thermo and sweating- were overlapped. The devices for future soldier were arranged on the overlapped map considering relations between devices. The final layering system developed on the arrangement of devices.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.910-926
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• 2022

Suitability for the human body, freedom to move and thermal insulation are important design considerations in military clothing. This study investigates the performance and wearer-satisfaction of the functional inner winter uniform currently used in Korea; it is hoped that our data can inform the development of a future version. Interviews were conducted, in which the participants suggested various improvements. The uniforms were mainly worn for guard duty or as daily attire in cold weather. The participants chose how many layers to wear according to the current situation, rather than sticking to the layering recommended in the manual. Layering choices did not significantly affect combat efficiency but were found to affect wearers' comfort. Wearers' satisfaction was found to depend on the convenience of the clothing, whether it was in the appropriate size, freedom to move and thermal insulation. Also, this study suggests a problem with the current size system, as the analysis of size distribution, across all sizes, the range of current production is insufficient to cover the demand.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.696-710
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• 2023

This study investigated the problems of Korean female combat uniforms and collected primary data for developing new combat uniforms with improved functionality. We analyzed fit and motion suitability by administering a questionnaire evaluating the current uniforms to 20 Korean female soldiers. The evaluation of fit suitability found that satisfaction with the combat uniforms was generally high. However, short sleeve length, large wrist circumference, small hip circumference, large ankle circumference, and low crotch height were discomfort factors. In the evaluation of motion suitability, dissatisfaction was found with the sleeve circumference, elbow circumference, armhole circumference, knee crease and crotch height, and back waist height during motion. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a more segmented size system that suits the physique of current female soldiers and to devise appropriate solutions for improving motion suitability. This study is meaningful for its evaluation of the current combat uniform of female soldiers, and it is expected to serve as a reference for the future development of military combat uniforms for this group.