Why did Kim Jong-un wear a suit at the party congress?

Mr. Kim's outfit during the party congress may be intended to link his image with that of his grandfather, the late leader Kim Il Sung.

Mr. Kim Jong-un at the congress of the Workers' Party of Korea on May 9. Photo: Reuters

Although he did not announce anything particularly new at the first party congress held in 36 years, Kim Jong-un showed himself to be a strong leader, firmly holding power in his hands, according to the Washington Post.

Before the party congress, Kim Jong-un held the position of first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea. Yesterday, he was given the new title of party chairman. The late North Korean leader Kim Il-sung also held the same position from 1946 to 1966, after which his title was changed to general secretary.

Michael Madden, editor of the North Korea Leadership Watch website and a visiting scholar at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University, said Kim's choice of attire for the congress — a black striped suit, a gray tie, and horn-rimmed glasses — was an attempt to tie the young leader's image to his grandfather's legacy.

In a similar vein, the Washington Post wrote that "with his Western suit and dark glasses, Mr. Kim, 33, looks like the spitting image of his grandfather, Kim Il Sung - the founder and eternal president of North Korea." Meanwhile, instead of wearing a suit, Mr. Kim Jong-un's father, the late leader Kim Jong-il, often wore a modified Sun Yat-sen suit.

Portraits of late North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung (left) and Kim Jong-il at the North Korean embassy in China. Photo: AP

"On the one hand, it's Kim Jong-un's way of paying respect to his grandfather, a politically calculated decision to remind North Koreans of a better time," Madden commented.

After the Korean War (1950-1953), Pyongyang recovered faster than Seoul. Per capita income in North Korea was higher than South Korea in the 1960s and maintained the same pace in 1970. At the 1980 North Korean Party Congress, 100 foreign delegates attended.

North Korea now faces increased sanctions following a series of nuclear tests and missile launches earlier this year. In that context, John Delury, a historian at Yonsei University, said that "Kim is trying to exploit his grandfather's positive image".

“On the other hand, the suit, glasses and hairstyle are also a look he really likes,” Mr. Madden added. “The suit is also intended to make him more like other senior party officials who occasionally wear suits.”

Track

Kim Jong-un took power in North Korea in late 2011, just about a year after his father, Kim Jong-il, chose him as his successor.

According to the Telegraph, by holding a party congress - something his father did not do - the young leader wants to prove that he has the same leadership style as his grandfather. Mr. Kim Il-sung ran the country through party agencies more than Mr. Kim Jong-il - who preferred to use his own network of confidants.

The Washington Post assessed that Mr. Kim's new title is part of a larger move to elevate the party's position over the military and return to the system initiated by Kim Il Sung.

In his speech at the congress, Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his commitment to the "byeongjin" policy, which is to develop both the economy and the military in parallel. Kim Jong-il previously promoted a military-first policy, which led to the development of nuclear weapons, exacerbating an already declining economy.

"Kim Jong-un is trying to distance himself from his father's style and policies," said Brian Bridges, a lecturer in Asian politics at Lingnan University in Hong Kong. Kim Il-sung had three-year and seven-year economic development plans. At this party congress, Kim Jong-un also presented a five-year plan.

"The party congress is a step by Kim to follow in his grandfather's footsteps. Kim Jong-un wants to show himself as a strong leader like his grandfather, not a reclusive leader like his father," Mr. Bridges added.

According to the LA Times, Mr. Kim did not appear to use a projector during the three-hour meeting on May 7, instead reading his speech from a document.

Madden commented that Kim Jong-un's rhetoric was "quite impressive." While he could have delegated some parts of the Central Committee's work report to others to read, Kim did it all himself.

“He has a firm grasp of party issues, and at the same time conveyed his stance on North Korean political culture, by speaking out entirely at the congress,” Madden said.

"We have a lot of evidence that Kim Jong-un personally edited the speech, possibly even making last-minute changes before reading it," Madden said.

"It reveals his character, showing us that he cares a lot about whether his speech is understood, or whether he has expressed his ideas clearly. It could also be a sign of perfectionism."

According to VNE