Chairman
"Our ancestors performed a considerable number of deeds in the field of military technology, which we can boast in front of the world."
In the course of the anti-aggression struggle to defend the country and nation from the ceaseless invasion of foreign aggressors, Korean people invented and manufactured many excellent weapons by dint of their creative talents and wisdom.
Among such weapons is a fire-attacking cart invented in the 15th century.
It was invented and manufactured in October 1409 by Choe Hae San, son of Choe Mu Son. In fact, it was a cart for military purpose which was made to carry several gunpowder weapons and to fire tens of cholryongjons (a kind of fire arrow) at a time.
Afterwards, the design dimensions of the cart were nationally standardized in 1445-1448 and it was further developed in the 1450s in such a way that it could fire more than 100 singijons (a kind of fire arrow) simultaneously. It could also mount 50 sajonchongthongs and fire them at a time. Sajonchongthong was a kind of gun that could shoot four fire arrows at a time.
In the Chronicles of the Feudal Joson Dynasty the structure of the cart is described as follows;
"The frame is mounted on the left and right and 100 jungsingijons (middle-sized singijon) or 50 sajonchongthongs are placed. These are ignited and shot one after another. It was tested on the way from Kwanghwa Gate to the River So. It can be dragged easily on a flat muddy path by two people and on a stony and slightly inclined path by three people; pulled by two, pushed by one. In hilly places, it was convenient to load the cart with guns and use it for defense." ("Munjongsillok" Day Imo, February, the first year of King Munjong's reign, Vol 6)
The cart was characteristic of 100 singijons mounted on it, which greatly enhanced its power.
The singijon was a developed version of hwajon (a fire arrow) that had been used for a long time. There were three kinds; sosingijon (small-sized fire arrow), jungsingijon (middle-sized fire arrow) and Taesingijon (large-sized fire arrow). It was not only used as a weapon to set fire on the targets in the battlefield, but also as a means of flare signal, smoke signal and sound signal as it could fly high up in the sky.
The cart was made in such a way that the wicks of the singijons or chongthongs mounted on it were gathered to make one big wick. So if the big wick was lit, all the fire arrows could be shot continuously. According to a history record, such a weapon was so powerful that they could check the attack of the enemies and take the initiative in the battles. ("Thaejongsillok" Day Pyongjin, October, the 9th year of King Thaejong's reign, Vol 18)
Afterwards it was suggested that shields should be attached to the left and right side of the cart to cover the body of the gunner and iron should be attached to the frame of the singijongi (a device for shooting singijons) and holes arrows flew through, thus making the cart fairly armoured. ("Munjongsillok" Day Kichuk, February, the first year of King Munjong's reign, Vol 6)
On the front side of the cart were fixed three spears at equal spaces, and on both lateral sides was fixed a blade each, thus making it impossible for the enemies to come close to the cart.
In addition, there was a shield fixed to protect the gunner and the carrier from enemy attack.
The picture and description of the cart are described in detail in a history book titled "Kukjooryeuisorye". According to it, the wheel was 578 mm in diameter and the hub was 149 mm in length and 136 mm in diameter. The wheel axle was 868 mm in length. The cart was equipped with a chongthonggi or singijongi as required, both of which were devices to shoot chongthongs or singijons respectively. So the cart loaded with a singijongi was called singijongi cart and the one with a chongthonggi was called chongthonggi cart.
With fire arrows mounted on it, high mobility and the ability to control the angles of direction and shooting, the cart was regarded as a powerful weapon that could realize a volley of fire arrows.
It had a higher shooting rate per unit time than other gunpowder weapons of those days. With a high concentration of fire arrows, it had a great killing power on the manpower.
The fire-attacking cart demonstrated its great power and efficiency in annihilating the foreign aggressors. According to "Pyon Yi Jung's Tale" from a history book titled "Inmulgo", Kwon Ryul and his unit of more than 2 300 men used about 300 carts equipped with sungjachongthongs (a kind of fire arrow) to win a great victory in February 1593 while they were defending a fort in Mt. Haengju.
At that time, Pyon Yi Jung donated his fortune to get a lot of new carts manufactured. The chassis of the cart was covered with iron plates and 40 sungjachongthongs were mounted on it so as to shoot 600 fire arrows at a time.
Such a cart was never invented in the neighbouring countries in the 15th century. It was not until 1614 that saxonia, a 64-barreled tubular gun was invented in Europe. The weapon consisting of 64 guns was the first repeating rifle in Europe.
This proves that the fire-attacking cart invented and manufactured by Korean people in the earliest development period of world military weapons was far superior to the ones used in medieval European countries in terms of equipment and killing power.
Indeed, Korean nation was a wise, talented nation that invented and manufactured such rare weapons as a fire-attacking cart for the first time in the world.
