Pyongyang is furious after the South Korean government announced it would erect three towers shaped and lit up like Christmas trees two miles from the border for 15 days starting December 23^rd . . . North Korea’s state-run media website warned of “unexpected consequences” if the lights are displayed and alleged that the Christmas lights are a propaganda act and “psychological warfare” . . . this is the second year in a row the lights will be lit . . . last year North Korea threatened to fire artillery at the tower but did nothing . . . North Korea is likely concerned that the lights, which are visible from the border, will reflect the wealth and freedoms of South Korea and could weaken the hold of the regime on its impoverished people . . . the threat by Pyongyang is likely empty words from the regime, which is alarmed by news last week that South Korea and the United States would be holding submarine drills twice a year beginning in 2012.