The Deungpae is a shield made of wisteria

Wisteria

Wisteria is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, that includes ten species of woody climbing vines native to the eastern United States and to China, Korea, and Japan. Aquarists refer to the species Hygrophila difformis, in the family Acanthaceae, as Water Wisteria...

 and bamboo

Bamboo

Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....

 which was used by the military of the Joseon Dynasty

Joseon Dynasty

Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...

. The earliest Korean description can be found in the Muyejebo

Muyejebo

The Muyejebo is a Korean martial art manual written during the reign of King Seonjo in 1598.-History:As the Imjin war dragged on for years, Korea needed a way to effectively train a large number of troops, and the Korean military adopted a training methodology based on a Chinese military manual...

.

Use

In the classic Korean martial art manuals the use of the deungpae is explained in combination with both the spear and the sword. Often a soldier would hold the deungpae and sword in the right hand, while holding a spear in his other hand. The spear would be thrown at the opponent, after which the soldier would attack with his sword.

A soldier with a nangseon

Nangseon

The nangseon was a branched spear with many thorns attached to the branches. It is also called 'multi tip spear'. The blades could be dipped in poison. The nangseon was a perfect weapon for defense. It would be difficult for the opponent to get near the person holding the nangseon without getting...

 would back up the soldier fighting with deungpae and sword. They would be part of a so called Mandarin duck formation which was invented by the Chinese general Qi Jiguang

Qi Jiguang

Qi Jiguang was a Chinese military general and national hero during the Ming Dynasty. He was best remembered for his courage and leadership in the fight against Japanese pirates along the east coast of China, as well as his reinforcement work on the Great Wall of China.-Early life:Qi Jiguang was...

 and is described in his book titled Ji Xiao Xin Shu

Ji Xiao Xin Shu

The book Ji Xiao Xin Shu was written by the Chinese general Qi Jiguang of the Ming Dynasty. The title can be translated as New Book Recording Effective Techniques....

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Shield specialists trained in how to advance and retreat but were not allowed to retreat in combat situation because their withdrawal would leave their whole squad exposed, leading to its possible collapse.