Christmas Glow Dimmed in Seoul to Conserve Oil
Seoul officials Wednesday banned all Christmas electric decorations at hotels, department stores and office buildings as part of a campaign to save energy. Stores must take down huge lighted images of Santa Claus bearing gifts, and the owners of one skyscraper must remove two 780-foot columns of lights covering all 63 stories.
One proprietor, taking down strings of lights from dozens of trees in front of his building, said he understood official concern about energy, “but we human beings should also have times to celebrate, decorate and drink.”
Officials cited the country’s $46-billion foreign debt as the reason for the campaign to save energy, which mostly comes from imported oil.
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