Pres. Park wears orange in a state dinner to show friendliness

President Park Geun-hye showed her “color diplomacy” through her fashion again on her trip to Western Europe. She chose orange, European’s favorite color, to show her decency and friendliness.

She boasted orange-color Hanbok, Korean traditional costume, at the state dinner hosted by Queen Elizabeth II, an event that drew most attention during her visit, on Tuesday (local time). She wore a bright orange jacket during a summit with French President Francoise Holland at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Monday. Kang Jin-joo, head of the Personal Image Clinic, said, “Orange is good for a friendly image psychologically. It is also a luxurious color favored by European royal families. She (the president) seems to represent both her decency and friendliness by using orange.”

The orange color had a fine Korean traditional touch. “Her hanbok is more like traditional yellowish orange or tangerine-like color rather than strong orange,” Gan Ho-seop, a textile art and fashion design professor at Hongik University, said, adding, “It seems to be an orange color that westerners like but with a soft Korean traditional taste.”

The president’s Hanbok was designed by Kim Yeong-seok, a hanbok designer, who made Korean traditional costumes for the president’s inauguration ceremony and her visits to other countries. A source close to the designer said, “It is a color of a ripe persimmon reminiscent of fall of Korea. It expresses Korea`s bountiful fall in harmony with a bright pink skirt embroidered with many flowers. President Park wore bright orange earrings shaped like Black Huckleberry.

Experts had differing views on her dark blue jacket at the official welcome ceremony near the Buckingham Palace in London on Tuesday. “Her dark blue is similar to ‘royal blue,’ which is one of the most classical colors in the U.K.,” Professor Gan said, adding, “It’s a choice for the Brits.” Meanwhile, another fashion expert said, “She seemed too formal and intimidated by the queen who wore a bright pink dress.”