Sungnyemun Made of Snow

Members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force yesterday finish up a snow version of Sungnyemun (Namdaemun), a Korean monument which was burnt to ashes last year due to arson. Four-fifths the size of the original version, the snow version is part of the 60th Sapporo Snow Festival on Japan`s northern island of Hokkaido, a global tourist attraction that begins Thursday. It will have the national flags of both Korea and Japan hoisted at the front. The construction of the snow model, which was postponed in consideration of Korean sentiment, resumed upon request from the Korean Embassy in Tokyo.