The Self-Reliant Defense 'Hero' Has Arrived... SNT Motive Hosts 'Homecoming' Event for 1st Generation Domestic Rifle Engineers from the 1970s

Japan Developed Matchlock Guns Purchased from 16th Century Portuguese Merchants, Later Invading Joseon

Lead Engineer: "Without Money or Technology, Learned in the US to Achieve Self-Defense and Open the K-Defense Industry Era"

Shooting scene of a domestically produced rifle manufactured by SNT Motive. [Image source=SNT Motive]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Tanegashima, a small isolated island south of Kyushu, Japan. In the mid-16th century, the teenage island lord Tokitaka obtained the ‘cheolpo’ (iron cannon).

This two- or three-foot-long ‘stick,’ known to us as the matchlock or arquebus, was purchased by the young lord from Portuguese merchants for a huge sum equivalent to 2 billion won in today’s money.

He then had blacksmiths replicate it repeatedly. Through repeated failures and successes, the technology was refined by blacksmiths across Japan.

This new weapon later played a leading role in unifying the Sengoku period in Japan and served as the vanguard in the invasion of Joseon. Soldiers who went into battle without this gun were even called ‘mudaepo’ (literally ‘no gun’), a term used to mock those without any countermeasures or strategy. This shows how powerful and advanced the weapon was at the time.

In 1971, South Korea recruited trainees to manufacture the M16 rifle. At that time, cutting-edge weapons manufacturing technology had to be learned from the United States. This scene overlaps with the iron cannon manufacturing technicians commissioned by Tanegashima’s Tokitaka.

Global small-caliber firearms manufacturer SNT Motiv invited the first generation of South Korea’s self-reliant defense ‘Domi (渡美) technicians’ from the 1970s on the 29th.

In the late 1960s, the late President Park Chung-hee and the Ministry of National Defense established the Jopyeongchang (Arms Factory) under the banner of “Let’s make our own weapons with our own hands” for South Korea’s self-reliant defense.

In 1971, a nationwide announcement was made through major domestic media to recruit ‘Domi technicians’ for the M16 rifle manufacturing plant training in the United States. Strict qualifications were required at the time: graduation from a mechanical engineering department, military service completed, five years of experience in a mechanical-related field, and the ability to converse in English for more than 30 minutes with American technicians.

About 1,800 engineering students nationwide competed fiercely, and 27 ‘Domi technicians’ were selected. They underwent technical training at Colt, an American firearms manufacturer, and contributed to producing M16 rifles at Jopyeongchang as well as developing domestic K-series firearms.

These ‘Domi technicians’ revisited the Ministry of National Defense’s Jopyeongchang, completed in November 1973. It is now SNT Motiv, a global small-caliber firearms manufacturer based in Busan.

On the morning of the 29th at 10 a.m., 16 people including 10 Domi technicians and 6 family members gathered at the Nongshim Hotel in Busan to receive plaques of appreciation and hold a meeting with company employees.

At this event, Park Moon-sun, head of SNT Motiv’s Special Business Division, said, “The roots of the company’s establishment as a global small-caliber firearms manufacturer with a full lineup of rifles, pistols, machine guns, and sniper rifles through continuous technological development and quality improvement lie in the blood and sweat of the ‘Domi technicians’ from the Jopyeongchang era.”

Park added, “This event was organized with respect and honor for the first generation ‘heroes’ of South Korea’s self-reliant defense.”

Kang Heung-rim (83), representing the ‘Domi technicians,’ said, “In the early 1970s, when there were no domestic weapons, and South Korea had neither money nor technology, the Ministry of National Defense’s Jopyeongchang became the forward base of self-reliant defense by producing the first domestic rifle using technology learned from the United States.”

Kang said, “The firearms manufacturing technology we honed laid the foundation for South Korea’s precision machinery industry, so all ‘Domi technicians’ take pride in this.”

He continued, “I ask SNT Motiv to continue writing the history of South Korea’s self-reliant defense through relentless technological development and to strive for our country to become the world’s strongest personal firearms manufacturing powerhouse.”

In the afternoon at 1 p.m., the ‘Domi technicians’ visited SNT Motiv’s defense factory to spend time with employees. They took commemorative photos, did handprint ceremonies, toured the factory, and shared stories about the factory’s establishment and equipment introduction during the early days of rifle production.

The ‘Domi technicians’ donated photos, notebooks, memos, books, and other items they had kept from that time to the company. SNT Motiv plans to collect these items and create a ‘Hall of Honor’ within the company for permanent preservation.

An SNT Motiv official proudly stated, “There are very few small-caliber firearms manufacturers worldwide that develop and produce rifles from start to finish, and SNT Motiv, inheriting the history of Jopyeongchang, which aspired to become a defense powerhouse, is one of them.”

He said, “The K-series firearms, produced purely with domestic technology, continue to develop through steady technological advancement alongside a solid foundation in precision machinery technology. We will further strengthen global competitiveness and lead the era of self-reliant defense.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.