North Korea is irate at its neighbor to the south for its decision to allow Christians to erect a 30-foot Christmas tree roughly two miles form the border, saying it will “escalate confrontation” and cause a war.
The KCNA news agency, North Korea’s state-run media apparatus, described the Christmas tree as an “intolerable insult” and an act of “despicable psychological warfare” by South Korea that “will fan up the confrontation with the fellow countrymen in the north and bring a war disaster.”
Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Dec. 2 that it would allow Christians to put up their tree for two weeks starting Dec. 23. The Seoul-based Christian Council of Korea says it wants the event to inspire individuals to pray for peace.
A much larger tower stood in the same area for 43 years, but was recently taken down due as a way to ease diplomatic friction.
South Korea granted the Christian Council of Korea’s request as a demonstration of the country’s commitment to religious freedom.
The officially atheist regime in the North does not see it that way.
“All religious bodies and religionists in south Korea should decisively check and frustrate the above-said moves which will escalate the confrontation and bring only disaster to the nation,” KCNA said.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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