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New floor leader’s green neck tie

Posted May. 06, 2016 07:23,   

Updated May. 06, 2016 07:51

한국어

When a man is like a "British gentleman," it not only means that he is well-mannered; it also means he is well-dressed. British gentlemen’s fashion philosophy holds that one should dress ordinarily and should not draw too much attention from others. Of course, he knows how to dress formally on certain occasions. In Britain, it is common to ask about the dress code first when invited to social gatherings or fancy restaurants. In some golf courses, only golfers in a red shirt are allowed rounding. Following such rules is no restriction. It is respect and consideration for others.

President Park Geun-hye wore a traditional Korean dress in orange and white, the colors of the Indian national flag, when she attended events during her visit to India in 2014. During her visits to China in 2013 and 2015, she was dressed in gold Korean dress or jacket, which is one of the most favorite colors of the Chinese people. Of course, there was a time when gold was shunned by ordinary people as only the emperor was allowed to wear in gold in the past, the president’s gesture certainly showed her respect to the people of China. President Park dressed in the three colors of green, white, and red, representing the national flag of Iran during her visit to the country. In addition to wearing a russari, the president took one step closer to the heart of the Iranian people.

Rep. Jeong Jin-seok, the new floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party, was seen wearing a green tie on Wednesday during his courtesy visit to the leadership of the People’s Party to make a "good impression." Green is the symbol of the People’s Party, and it was a smooth move on the part of the floor leader. In fact, Jeong was wearing a red tie when he was attending the floor leader election on the previous day, the symbolic color of the ruling party. He certainly knows what to wear. The picture of Jeong and Chairman Kim Jong-in of the Emergency Policy Committee of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea, however, showed that Jeong was still wearing a green tie probably because the courtesy visits to the two oppositions fell on the same day. He chose yellow for his meeting with Woo Sang-ho, the new floor leader of the Minjoo Party of Korea, on Thursday. He must have chosen yellow as it was former President Kim Dae-jung’s favorite color, but blue, which is the symbol of the main opposition party, would have been a better choice.

On the ceiling of the National Assembly hall hang 365 light bulbs. It is a reminder that policymakers must work for their people every single day out of each year. Working hard is important, but working well is even more important. The first step for the ruling and opposition parties to work toward that lofty goal would be trying to be in others’ shoes. There should not be any more space for "animal assembly" or "vegetative assembly" in the hall; we all could use a functional, rational assembly.



이진녕 jinnyong@donga.com