Singijeon or shinkichon (Korean: 신기전; Hanja: 神機箭; literally "Divine machine arrows") was a type of Korean fire arrow rocket, used during the era of the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897). Multiple singijeon could be launched by hwacha (multiple rocket launcher). History During the late 14th century, in order to gain ascendancy at sea against Japanese pirates (wokou, also known as waegu in Korean), fire arrows called hwajeon or hwajon(Korean: 화전) were used, which would become the predecessor of the singijeon. The Koreans had tried to acquire rockets and gunpowder and their production methods from China. The Chinese, however, regarded the technology of gunpowder as a state secret and restricted access to it and trade in its nitrous raw materials (which could only be found in China). The Koreans therefore sought to acquire the manufacturing secrets of gunpowder for themselves and, in 1374 (~1376), Choe Mu-seon was able to bribe a Han Chinese merchant to obtain the...