NORTH Korea has released a startling new portrait of its 'Glorious Leader' showing off his glitzy new look …and a GUN.
The arty image shows portly Kim Jong-un looking stern and somewhat stylish bedecked in a white naval uniform.
It's reported to be the first time he has been seen in military attire since coming to power in the wake of his father's death in December 2011.
State media showed off the new image as the rogue state held a key meeting of its ruling party to discuss beefing up its defence capabilities.
The huge portrait shows Kim in a gleaming white uniform with a marshal's star hanging around his neck and on his epaulettes.
He is seated at in front of a book-lined wall at a desk which has an assault rifle and binoculars on top.
Kim's love of guns is well known and he is often seen gazing into binoculars during his nation's many missile launches.
The painting emerged as Kim pledged to strengthen North Korea's defences, just weeks before Joe Biden's inauguration as US president.
It appeared in state coverage of the Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, hanging in a corridor of the House of Culture in Pyongyang.
Kim's 'An Officer and a Gentleman' look comes as a big surprise as he always dons civilian dress for public appearances in his isolated kingdom.
More images of Kim – one of them on horseback – lined the passageway, where delegates were shown studying them closely.
While this is the first formal portrait of Kim in military uniform, similar military images of Kim have emerged before.
One included footage from before he became leader that showed a younger and slimmer Kim wearing the insignia of a four-star general.
Kim has overseen a rapid increase in the North's missile and nuclear technology in recent years.
Reports citing satellite imagery said there are indications Pyongyang is planning a parade "with military elements" to mark the meeting.
And on Wednesday we told of reports which claimed Kim'smilitary is developing 4,000mphhypersonic nuke missiles to blitz the US.
The dictator state is planning to beef up its arsenal with a research centre aimed at developing deadly missiles which could batter US defences.
Dubbed the ‘Academy of National Defense Science’, the centre will research hypersonic missiles – which can’t be intercepted by existing defence systems.
From North Korea's point of view, this could make the missiles the “magic sword” needed to shatter America’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)-led “invincible shield”, Daily NK reports.
Able to travel at incredible speeds, hypersonic missiles can in theory obliterate any place on earth within three hours.
Unlike standard ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles don’t have a simple trajectory and as a result could transform future warfare.
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