Pres. Park seen wearing russari during her state visit to Iran

South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who paid a state visit to Iran on Sunday, is wearing a russari pursuant to Islamic law. Russari, which means a bandana that covers the head, is a type of hijab. In Arabic, hijab means Islamic attire.

As Islamic law requires even non-believing foreign women to be dressed in Islamic clothes, President Park had to wear a russari from on her private plane. During her visit to the United Arab Emirates in March, the president wore a head scarf called shayla only when she visited mosques, and she did not wear any traditional attire in Saudi Arabia.

Among the dress codes that Muslim women are obliged to follow, russari is a style that covers the least amount of body, allowing them to expose the front and the back of their hair. The hair is tied up and fixed with a hairpin, and a square-shaped scarf is folded into a triangle to cover the head around. A similar type includes a long-shaped scarf called shawl, a popular item for young, trendy women. A style called magnae that covers the shoulders and hair except the face is often worn by students and working women as it does not come down easily.

Other styles include chador, burka, and niqab. Burka is the most conservative style that covers the whole body from head to toe except for the mesh part to secure a vision. It can be seen only in some parts including Afghanistan and is rarely worn by Iranian women. One will wear a traditional one-piece called "munto" and a magnae to show her face, and then put on a layer afterwards, which is called chador. Niqab refers to a mask that covers the torso from head to chest except the eyes, which is worn in the southern part of Iran.

It is analyzed that the green jacket and the pants President Park was wearing for her visit to Iran are a choice reflecting the color of the Iranian national flag. In Islamic culture, green is a color that pays homage to Muhammad and symbolizes faith in god and peace.

“My understanding is that her suit was tailor-made by an Iranian designer considering the nature of the summit meeting. The president was dressed according to Islamic law, expressing respect to Iran,” said Professor Yoo Dal-seung of the Iranian Department of Hanguk University of Foreign Studies.

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