ROK takes down tower shaped like Christmas tree

The Republic of Korea said on Wednesday it had dismantled a Christmas-tree-shaped tower near the border with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea that had previously been used for a seasonal lights show.

The DPRK has repeatedly demanded the destruction of the 20-meter-high steel tower on top of a military-controlled hill, just 3 kilometers from the heavily fortified border, but the ROK said it was dismantled because the 43-year-old structure had become unsafe.

In the past, the DPRK has threatened to shell the tower, which the ROK had allowed civilian groups to decorate with lights - including a giant illuminated cross at the top - over the Christmas season.

"The decision was unrelated to inter-Korean relations. Safety was the main reason," a ministry spokesman said, adding that work to remove the tower began in August.

"There is no plan to replace it with a new one," he said.

The ROK 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.

But the deal was scrapped in 2010 following the sinking of an ROK warship. Pyongyang has denied responsibility for the attack.

In 2011, the tower was not illuminated in the wake of DPRK leader Kim Jong-il's death and it stayed dark over Christmas 2013 when military tensions were running high.

The DPRK has always condemned the lights show as a provocative display of psychological warfare.

The dismantling of the tower comes after an agreement reached during a surprise visit to the ROK by a top-ranking DPRK delegation earlier this month to resume high-level talks suspended since February.