<table id=cafe_editor_main_table_color bgColor='#e4f7ba' cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 width=100%><tr><td id=cafe_editor_main_table class=text><p> </p><h2><span style="color: rgb(102, 75, 0); font-size: 18pt;">South Korea scraps 'Christmas tree' tower hated by North</span></h2><p class="subtitles"><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Government says tower dismantled for 'safety' reasons </span></strong></p><p class="subtitles"><br></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img class="big-img" alt="<p>South Korean Christians sing a hymn in front of a controversial Christmas tree structure atop a military-controlled hill near the tense land border in Gimpo, west of Seoul, in December 2010 (AFP Photo/Kim Jae-Myung)</p>" src="http://www.ucanews.com/uploads/2014/10/1413952571.jpg"> </p><span class="img-txtz"><p style="text-align: center;"><br></p><p>South Korean Christians sing a hymn in front of a controversial Christmas tree structure atop a military-controlled hill near the tense land border in Gimpo, west of Seoul, in December 2010 (AFP Photo/Kim Jae-Myung)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br></p></span><div class="country-list"><ul><li>AFP, Seoul</li><li>Korea</li><li>October 22, 2014</li></ul></div><div class="sharelist"><ul><li><br></li><li><div class=" fb_reset" id="fb-root" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div style="top: -10000px; width: 0px; height: 0px; position: absolute;"><div><iframe name="fb_xdm_frame_http" tabindex="-1" title="Facebook Cross Domain Communication Frame" id="fb_xdm_frame_http" aria-hidden="true" src="http://static.ak.facebook.com/connect/xd_arbiter/2_ZudbRXWRs.js?version=41#channel=f28c5e8d5926b8e&origin=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ucanews.com" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="border: currentColor; border-image: none;" allowtransparency="true"></iframe><iframe name="fb_xdm_frame_https" tabindex="-1" title="Facebook Cross Domain Communication Frame" id="fb_xdm_frame_https" aria-hidden="true" src="https://s-static.ak.facebook.com/connect/xd_arbiter/2_ZudbRXWRs.js?version=41#channel=f28c5e8d5926b8e&origin=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ucanews.com" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="border: currentColor; border-image: none;" allowtransparency="true"></iframe></div></div><div style="top: -10000px; width: 0px; height: 0px; position: absolute;"><div></div></div><p><span style="width: 121px; height: 20px; vertical-align: bottom;"></span></p></div></li><li>
</li></ul></div><p><br></p><ul><div class="clear"></div></ul><div class="clear"></div><div class="main-txt-news"><p>South Korea said Wednesday it had dismantled a Christmas tree-shaped tower near the border with North Korea which had previously been used for a seasonal lights show that drew angry protests from the atheist regime in Pyongyang.</p><p><br></p><p>North Korea has repeatedly demanded the destruction of the 20-meter high steel tower on top of a military-controlled hill just three kilometers from the heavily-fortified border.</p><p><br></p><p>In the past, it has even threatened to shell the tower which the South has allowed civilian groups to decorate with lights — including a giant illuminated cross at the top — over the Christmas season.</p><p><br></p><p>The defense ministry said it was dismantled for the sole reason that the 43-year-old structure had become unsafe.</p><p><br></p><p>"The decision was unrelated to inter-Korean relations. Safety was the main reason," said a ministry spokesman, adding that work to remove the tower had begun in August.</p><p><br></p><p>"There is no plan to replace it with a new one," he said.</p><p><br></p><p>The South switched off the tree under a 2004 deal to halt official-level cross-border propaganda. It also suspended loudspeaker broadcasts and a propaganda leaflet campaign using large helium balloons.</p><p><br></p><p>The deal was scrapped in 2010 following the sinking of a South Korean warship which Seoul blamed on a North Korean submarine.</p><p><br></p><p>In 2011 the tower was not illuminated in the wake of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il's death and it stayed dark over Christmas 2013 when military tensions were running high.</p><p><br></p><p>The North has always condemned the Christmas lights show as a provocative display of psychological warfare.</p><p><br></p><p>The dismantling of the tower comes after an agreement reached during a surprise visit to the South by a top-ranking North Korean delegation earlier this month to resume high-level talks suspended since February.</p><p><br></p><p>The remaining irritant for the North is the continued launching of anti-North leaflets over the border by South Korean activists. <em>AFP</em></p><p><br></p><p> </p></div><p><br></p></tr></td></table>
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