You can purchase back issues of JAMA from the website of their parent company, Via Media, at
http://www.goviamedia.com/
The most useful "snapshot" of martial arts in Korean history is available in the Muye Dobo Tongji, available from Turtle Press
here. The book is primarily based on two older Chinese manuals and their earlier Korean revisions, but contains extensive personal notes from the primary author (who studied and practiced the arts with the Chinese soldiers) and extensive historical annotations and background information. The historical notes are very enlightening, because they even include records of martial training halls, establishment of martial education centers, and the hosting/promotion of local and national martial competitions. Notes are also given on the construction of certain weapons, and in some cases (most notably with flails), their uses and contributions to wins and losses in specific battles.
Historically, the primary Korean martial weapon was the bow and arrow. This has the longest unbroken, documented record of use in Korea. Standard form used was (and still is) the 'Mongolian Draw', using a finger ring, or pulling the string like you might pluck a harp string (as opposed to the 'Western Draw' with the arrow's fletched end between the index and long finger and the thumb wrapped to the other side). Still to this day, Korea dominates international competition and Olympic events in archery.
A secondary weapon, unique to Korea in its range of applications, its broad use, and the faith placed in it as a centerpiece in strategy, was the long flail. The was something that looked like a cross between a large mace and a nunchaku on steroids. The primary piece was about 7 to 8 feet long, with a chain or several large links holding it to a smaller section about 1 and a half ft long. It was used on horseback against ground troops, or by defenders on a wall against storming siege troops trying to scale the wall.
Koreans also used swords, spears, and halberd-like weapons of various length, such as the waldo and the hyupdo. For more information on these weapons, search
www.swordforum.com for posts by Bruce W Sims, who posts often about them, and seeks to reconstruct their techniques in his Korean sword school at Midwest Hapkido (sword website
here - please note the section with pictures of the various weapons, as well).
For some really cool native Korean weaponry (that you won't find in any martial arts class of which I'm aware), google what you can find on the
hwacha - a variation of the Chinese arrow cart that allowed the operator to fire up to 200 iron-bar 'fire arrows' at a single shot. This was the 15th century Korean 'Gatling Gun' of archery.
I have seen no documentation or evidence of any use of the traditional Okinawan or Filipino weapons (nunchaku, kama, cane, short stick, double stick) at any time in Korea. These arts seem to be add-ons in schools that wish to make their martial training more rounded. They do not appear to be part of any authentically Korean martial heritage/tradition.
