South Korea Will Restore Brightly Lit ‘Christmas Tree’ Near Border – Plan Of Religious Tolerance Or Annoyance?


South Korea has given a go-ahead to set up a giant illuminated Christmas tree along the border it shares with its northern neighbor.

In what could be easily mistaken for over-enthusiastic holiday spirit, South Korea has approved plans to erect (or rather resurrect) a 30-foot tall ‘tree’ that is supposed to send a message of peace – but will undoubtedly prompt anger instead, from North Korea.

The ‘tree’ is in fact a tower that is decked out in Christmas decorations. Just last month, in an apparent attempt at pacifying the otherwise aggressive North Korea, South Korea had agreed to take down a 65-foot-tall tower that was first set up in 1971 and later converted to resemble a Christmas tree. The ‘tree’ was clearly visible to North Koreans living close to the border. It was repeatedly condemned by the North. North Korea strongly felt the ‘tree’ amounted to a “provocative display of psychological warfare.” reported The Guardian.

South Korea Claims It Is Merely Trying To Show Religious Tolerance
South Korea Claims It Is Merely Trying To Show Religious Tolerance

The North Korean government is strongly against any kind of religion as it is officially an atheist country. Not only is possession of any religious artifact illegal, being found with one can easily result in the perpetrator being condemned to death, reported the Washington Post.

According to official North Korean teachings, the country’s late founder, Kim Il Sung, and his son, Kim Jong Il, are referred to as gods and other religious beliefs or symbols are suppressed in this ultra-secretive and isolated nation.

However, these dictatorial steps have often been fought by activists who have tried to send balloons carrying plastic bags with pamphlets of Bible scriptures. Perhaps the Christmas Tree is meant to chide North Korea and mock its practices of snubbing out religions and proclaiming the dictators as gods.

As expected, this act has not gone down well with the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s regime, which has threatened to fire shells at the tower. In October, North Korea warned of a “catastrophic impact” if a similar structure was ever rebuilt,

“The tower is not a tool for religious events but a symbol of manic attempts to raise cross-border tension and provoke armed conflicts.”

Subsequently, citing security and safety concerns, South Korea had taken down the structure. However, perhaps as a defiance to the threats of violence, South Korea has decided that the ‘tree’ will once again be erected very near to its formal site. Referring to the Christian activist group’s plan to set up an illuminated Christmas tree along the border of its northern neighbor on Dec. 23, South Korean defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said, “We accepted the request … to guarantee free religious activities.”

[Image Credit | Yun Jai-hyoung, Lee Jin-man / AP]

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