Daewoo K1

Daewoo K1
Daewoo K1 Carbine
Type	Assault rifle
Place of origin	South Korea
Service history
In service	1981-present
Used by	South Korea
Production history
Designed	1977
Manufacturer	Daewoo
Produced	1980
Variants	K1A, MAX 1, AR-110C
Specifications
Weight	2.87 Kg (without a magazine)
Length	838mm (stock extended) 653 mm (stock retracted)
Barrel length	263 mm

Cartridge	.223 Remington
Action	Gas-operated (direct impingement), Rotating bolt
Rate of fire	700-900 rounds/min
Effective range	250 m
Feed system	20 or 30-round detachable box STANAG (M16) magazine
Sights	Iron sights

The K1/K1A Carbine is the first modern small firearm developed by Republic of Korea. The K1 is a shoulder-fired, gas-operated, selective-fire carbine that feeds from a 20 or 30 round M16 magazine and has 1-in-12 rifling twist for 5.56 x 45 mm .223 Remington. The K1 uses the direct impingement gas system. The K1 is classified as a submachine gun in military of South Korea because the K1 was intended to replace M3 Grease Gun. The K1A is the upgraded version of the K1. All K1s in military of South Korea have been modified to K1A. The K1/K1A is manufactured by Daewoo.

While the K1 carbine is commonly regarded as a carbine version of Daewoo K2 assault rifle, it is better to consider K1 a separate carbine. Because,

The development of K1 was completed earlier than that of K2.
The K1 uses the direct impingement gas system, while the K2 uses AK-47 style gas piston system.
The K1 has 1-in-12 rifling twist for .223 Remington, while the K2 has 1-in-7.3 rifling twist for 5.56 x 45 mm NATO (FN SS109).

[edit] In fiction

A K1 was held by the army deserter in the Korean film My Sassy Girl. It was later replaced by an M4 prop gun for the firing scene, although to most viewers this goof was non-apparent (as the average person of the target audience is not proficient in identifying firearms), and the scene was occurring during the night.