hankyoreh

By Lee Soon-hyuk

The South Korean government plans to approve the placement of Christmas trees at three locations on the front lines with North Korea.
In addition to a tree at Aegi Peak on the western front line, others are to be positioned near the Military Demarcation Line at the central and eastern fronts.
The Ministry of National Defense announced Sunday that approval had been granted for the placement of one tree each at the Peace Observatory in Cheorwon, Gangwon, and the Unification Observatory in Goseong, Gangwon. Previously, military authorities said they would allow the lighting of a tree at Aegi Peak in Gimpo, Gyeonggi, at the request of Yeouido Full Gospel Church.
The trees are to be lit for a two-week period from Dec. 23 to Jan. 6, with costs borne by the requesting group.
The lighting of Christmas trees was previously suspended following an agreement at the second round of inter-Korean generals' talks in 2004 to take down all propaganda materials in the area around the MDL. But the lighting of a tree at Aegi Peak was resumed after seven years in late 2010 in the wake of the Cheonan sinking and artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island. With the latest approval, additional trees are to be positioned not only on the western front but at the central and eastern fronts as well.
The web site Uri Minjok Kkiri, which is operated by North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, issued a statement Sunday in which it warned that "an unpredictable situation could be created if such an action is carried out now at a time when conditions between North and South are tense."
In February, North Korea warned that it would shoot to destroy South Korean installations for psychological warfare.

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