North Korea: Kim Jong-un’s snappy new suit makes him look like a ‘banker, wearing Armani’
The surprisingly snazzy Western-style suit and matching grey tie – a stark change from his usual dour Mao suits – had analysts trying to read the unexpected sartorial signals
A snappy grey suit donned by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s for his New Year’s address has got analysts wondering whether the reclusive regime is deploying a new wardrobe as part of a diplomatic makeover for 2018.
The softer tone and the surprisingly snazzy Western-style suit and matching grey tie – a stark change from his usual dour Mao suits – had analysts trying to read the unexpected sartorial signals.
“Kim Jong-un’s silver Western-style suit and horn-rimmed glasses, as well as the fact that he was not wearing a badge of his grandfather and father, shows his confidence and stability.
It signals that he is in control,” Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul said.
Robert Kelly of Pusan National University described the torch-bearer of the Kim dynasty as looking more like “a banker, wearing Armani”.