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South Korea to Point Giant Christmas Tree at North Korea's General Direction

The 30-foot-tall steel tower is designed to look like a tree and will get lit up for two weeks over the holidays just two miles from the border.
Photo par AP/Lee Jin-man

The border between North and South Korea will get a boost in holiday spirit this year after the government in Seoul granted approval Tuesday for a local Christian organization to erect and light up a giant Christmas tree just two miles away from its northern neighbor.

Aimed at honoring religious freedom in the country, the decision from South Korea's Defense Ministry comes just in time for the holiday season. The Christian Council of Korea will be allowed to erect the 30-foot tall tower — made of steel and shaped like a Christmas tree — over two weeks starting from December 23.

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"We accepted the request to protect religious activities and to honor the group's wish to illuminate the tower in hopes of peace on the Korean Peninsula," defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said, according to the New York Times.

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This isn't the first time a Christmas tree will be lit up near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which separates the two countries on the Korean peninsula. For 43 years, an even larger Christmas tree tower — measuring 60-feet tall — was lit up near the border during the holidays, but South Korean officials decided to take down the structure this October.

The South Korean government cited safety concerns from rust as the reason for dismantling the tower. Many in the country, however, felt Seoul was giving into Pyongyang, which had previously said it would fire artillery at the tree.

Perched atop a tall peak, the structure was visible to North Koreans residing on the other side of the DMZ, causing their country's government to label it as war propaganda. Addressing the possibility of rebuilding the structure in October, North Korea said such an act would have a "catastrophic impact," according to the Guardian.

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"The tower is not a tool for religious events but a symbol of manic attempts to raise cross-border tension and provoke armed conflicts," North Korean state-affiliated media outlet Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

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Past efforts by South Korea to send religious material to the North have included the floating of balloons packed with biblical passages across the border.

Practicing religion is severely restricted in North Korea, and only government-recognized organizations have permission to participate in religious exercises. While freedom of religion is granted in the country's constitution, a person can be sent to prison for having a Bible.

"[Religion] has been compared to a drug, narcotics, a sin, and a tool of Western and capitalist invasion. Christian missionaries are portrayed as the product of USA capitalism and work akin to vampirism," the United Nations security council wrote in a report on human rights in North Korea.

While the citizens of North Korea will not be opening presents and unpacking stockings on December 25 — at least not without risk — they will be allowed to commemorate the birthday of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un's grandmother, who was born the day before.

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Follow Kayla Ruble on Twitter: @RubleKB