美国国家公共电台 NPR Rivals Japan And South Korea Face Off At Olympics Amid Chilly Ties

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

At the Olympics, North and South Korea made headlines for making nice, but South Korea's relations have cooled with an ally, Japan. NPR's Elise Hu reports on the backdrop to a rivalry¹.

(SOUNDBITE OF 2018 OLYMPIC GAMES)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Ready?

(SOUNDBITE OF GUNSHOT)

ELISE HU, BYLINE²: On the ice, Nao Kodaira of Japan and two-time gold medalist Lee Sang-hwa of South Korea are the world's best at the 500-meter speedskate, finishing within fractions of seconds for years and constantly compared to one another. Their much-watched showdown Sunday was packed with extra meaning because their countries compete so fiercely, too.

JEFF KINGSTON: Wherever they are competing, there is certainly the unresolved grievances³ of the colonial era loom⁴ large.

HU: Jeff Kingston is the Asia Studies chair at Tokyo's Temple University. He wrote the book "Nationalism In Asia." He says South Koreans haven't forgotten Japan's brutal⁵ colonization⁶ of their country, which lasted from 1910-1945. In sports...

KINGSTON: Beating Japan is certainly on the minds of South Koreans. Not losing to South Korea's on the minds of the Japanese.

(SOUNDBITE OF 2018 OLYMPICS)

UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting in foreign language).

HU: For fans from these neighboring countries with a troubled past, this skating matchup was the one to watch. Hikaru Takamizawa came over from Japan to catch it.

HIKARU TAKAMIZAWA: We have to win the Korea always...

HU: You have to beat Korea.

TAKAMIZAWA: Yeah (laughter).

HU: He said this rivalry was ingrained around the same time he learned how to read.

You were quite young, right?

TAKAMIZAWA: Yeah, I was 6 or 7 years old, yeah, really (laughter).

HU: The jostling in sports mirrors what's happening with the larger Japan-South Korea relationship lately. Japanese diplomats⁷ filed a formal complaint against their neighbor after South Korea put tiny, contested islands on the white unified⁸ Korea flag used during these games. The North Korea issue is coming between the two countries' leaders, too. When Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe confronted South Korean President Moon Jae-in at an Olympic summit, things got tense over military drills.

KINGSTON: Moon, more or less, told him to butt⁹ out; this is a domestic matter, and he would make the call.

HU: Jeff Kingston says things are somewhere between cold and frosty right now.

KINGSTON: So it was amazing to me that the NBC commentator¹⁰ at the opening ceremony decided¹¹ it was just the right time to remind everybody.

HU: If you missed it, an NBC commentator said, quote, "every Korean will tell you that Japan is a cultural, and technological¹² and economic example."

KINGSTON: First of all, it's untrue. And the timing¹³ of it, when South Korea is hosting the Olympics - it was just astounding¹⁴ cluelessness.

HU: NBC apologized. Here in the region, the rivalry is so internalized that it brought North and South Korea together. The coach of the unified Korean hockey team said success for her team would mean beating Japan. The team lost but won over Koreans by scoring their only goal of the Olympics when it mattered - against Japan. In the speedskating showdown, Japan's Nao Kodaira ultimately edged out Korea's Lee Sang-hwa, winning a gold to Lee's silver. Moments after, Kodaira went over to a shaken and sobbing¹⁵ Lee and pulled her close. They skated side by side, draped in their respective countries' flags - a rare sight, given the state of Japan-South Korea relations. Elise Hu, NPR News, Gangneung, South Korea.

(SOUNDBITE OF TOKIMONSTA'S "LUNE")

1 rivalry   

n.竞争，竞赛，对抗

参考例句：

• The quarrel originated in rivalry between the two families.这次争吵是两家不和引起的。
• He had a lot of rivalry with his brothers and sisters.他和兄弟姐妹间经常较劲。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 loom   

n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近

参考例句：

• The old woman was weaving on her loom.那位老太太正在织布机上织布。
• The shuttle flies back and forth on the loom.织布机上梭子来回飞动。

5 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

6 colonization   

殖民地的开拓，殖民，殖民地化； 移殖

参考例句：

• Colonization took place during the Habsburg dynasty. 开拓殖民地在哈布斯堡王朝就进行过。
• These countries took part in the colonization of Africa. 这些国家参与非洲殖民地的开发。

7 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

9 butt   

n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶

参考例句：

• The water butt catches the overflow from this pipe.大水桶盛接管子里流出的东西。
• He was the butt of their jokes.他是他们的笑柄。

10 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

13 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

14 astounding   

adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词)

参考例句：

• There was an astounding 20% increase in sales. 销售量惊人地增加了20%。
• The Chairman's remarks were so astounding that the audience listened to him with bated breath. 主席说的话令人吃惊，所以听众都屏息听他说。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 sobbing   

<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的

参考例句：

• I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。
• Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。