I wonder if this was a quid pro quo to get North Korea to return to talks or even release Jeffrey Fowle?:
A giant steel Christmas tree near the border with North Korea that served as a propaganda symbol for the South for 43 years has been pulled down.
It used to stand at Aegibong Peak in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province and twinkle a message of progress, consumerism and born-again Christianity across the border, to the fury of the North Korean regime.
The local government now plans to build a peace park with the budget of W29.6 billion (US$1=W1,052) there.
Military authorities pulled it down on Oct. 15-16 citing safety reasons. The structure “was rated very dangerous in a safety inspection of military facilities and structures in November last year,” a Defense Ministry spokesman said. [Chosun Ilbo]
You can read more at the link, but few people seem fooled by the safety reasons cited when it has been there for 43 years.
