APEC lives on with fancy dress parade
APEC lives on with fancy dress parade
Agence France-Presse, Busan, South Korea
They wore ponchos in Chile, batik shirts in Indonesia and Malaysia and satin jackets in China. Now in South Korea world leaders will smile and try not to look self-conscious in a new outfit.
The APEC fancy dress parade will live on in Busan, where 21 leaders will be putting aside their differences and posing before the cameras in unfamiliar costumes on Saturday.
The choice of national costume for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit has been a closely guarded secret.
But South Korean organizers announced Wednesday that the 21 leaders will be decked out in silk robes decorated with an elaborate bow.
The outfit consists of a silk overcoat, or durumagi, organizers explained, chosen because "it is comfortable but looks graceful as well."
Bush, Chinese leader Hu Jintao and Russia's Vladimir Putin can conveniently slip the robe over their business suits, ensuring they stay warm in the chill Busan autumn air for the outside photo call.
The coats come in seven different colors and are decorated with ancient oriental symbols of longevity, an APEC statement said.
The coat has pockets, a decorative knot which acts as a button, and a ribbon that comes pre-tied because "it requires skillful hands and patience to tie properly."
Leaders are allowed to choose in advance which color they prefer but their choice remains confidential.
"The coats are in pastel hues: gold, brown, silver, dark blue and light green for men, and pink and purple for women," the statement said.
They are decorated with elegant symbols, the statement adds, including "the pine tree, which symbolizes unchanging faith and loyalty; bamboo, which stands for a wise man's dignity and fidelity; and clouds, representing freedom."
The South Korean APEC organizers launched a national competition to find a suitable costume for the leaders and examined 26 design entries from 14 cities and provinces nationwide.
It is an established tradition for leaders to don the national costume of the host nation at a commemorative photo shoot that ends the annual forum summit.
Sheepishly gritting their teeth and smiling with varying degrees of embarrassment, they pose in the strange garb after their sometimes heated exchanges during the summit sessions.