A civic group is calling for the cancellation of a plan to set up a Christmas tree near the tense inter-Korean border.
  
During a news conference in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, on Sunday, the civic group noted that the Christian Council of Korea will begin setting up the tree on Monday. It claimed that the Defense Ministry is attempting to stage a psychological war against North Korea by hiding behind some religious organizations, despite the recent inter-Korean exchange of fire in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, in October.
  
The civic group said that South Korean civilians living near the inter-Korean border will suffer serious damage because of South Korean propaganda activities targeting the North.
 
South Korea announced a plan to light up a nine-meter Christmas tree on the Aegibong hill from December 23 to January 6.
 
In the past, the Aegibong hill housed a Christmas decorative tower for 43 years, but the military dismantled it in October this year after it was found to be dangerous in a safety check conducted in 2013.
 
With the decorative tower clearly visible from the North Korean border city of Gaeseong, Pyongyang had strongly condemned the lighting as psychological warfare and warned of attacks.