South Korea had a long standing tradition of erecting a Christmas tree near the border of North Korea. This tradition was halted in 2004 when both countries agreed to stop any form of propaganda near the border. The tree stood about 60 feet tall, and was decorated every year by various Christian groups in South Korea. In 2010 the South Korean government allowed the tree to be raised again after a warship was sunk by a supposed North Korean submarine.
This year North Korea took drastic measures to stop the “South Korean Propaganda” from being seen by the near by North Korean villages. North Korea is officially Atheist and does not celebrate, nor condone, any Christian belief or celebration. Instead, they declare war.
Kim Jong Un, in an exclusive interview with Aggie Radio, had this to say.
“[The tree] is an official declaration of war against my beloved people. We will not tolerate such blatant acts of terrorism against our country. [South Korea] left us no choice but to take militaristic action, and eradicate all threats.”
Earlier this week, missiles were launched at the tower. No one was hurt, and the surrounding area remained unharmed, but the tree had little left to it.
A representative of the South Korean government held a press release soon after the event. In it he said, “The tree is in no way a symbol of threat towards our neighboring nation. It is a symbol of peace that locals of the Christian faith set up each year. We celebrate the idea of people being able to express their religious beliefs freely, and feel as though our citizens should not have to feel threatened by the acts of North Korea.”
He later went on to state, “We will act peacefully. We see no reason to respond to violence with more violence in this situation. It was a misunderstanding between two nations, and we realize they see it as propaganda for our beliefs. They are a very set nation, and we want to respect that.”
As for future plans for the tree, a decision has yet to be made.
Later in our discussion with Kim Jong Un, we asked about the two Americans still being held captive in North Korea. He was hesitant to respond and said he did not know what we were talking about. We then asked him about his two month hiatus from the local eye, he threw down a smoke bomb and disappeared.
Since departing from the interview, I have not seen, nor heard from, the other reporter that was with me. His name is Christopher Christopherson and was last seen entering his apartment late Tuesday night. It is believed that he was taken by North Korean enforcement and is being held captive. After searching his apartment a note was hanging on his wall, written in Korean, that read “Christopher Christopherson”. Further investigation is being conducted, and if you have any information please contact local law enforcement.
*EDIT*
Christopher was found at a local Starbucks in Logan. He had to go into work early on Wednesday, and was not seen leaving by his neighbors. The note on the wall was from his LDS Mission to South Korea.
