REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SEOUL -- The light-grey suit and matching tie that North Korea's Kim Jong Un donned for his New Year's address was likely carefully calculated to project a softer, more relaxed image to go with his surprise offer for talks with Seoul.

Departing from his usual black or navy suits, Kim gave his televised speech wearing black-rimmed glasses and slicked back hair, speaking fluently and rarely looking down to read as he raised the possibility of sending a delegation to the upcoming Winter Olympics in South Korea.

"In this New Year's address, North Korea seems to have taken great pains with the image portrayed by Kim Jong Un," said an analysis by the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification after Kim's speech.

"The change from the previous dark Maoist suits to a softer toned grey Western-style suit likely aimed to underpin peace, which Kim stressed in his address," the institute said.