VOA慢速英语2017--金正恩想要什么？

 What Does Kim Jong Un Want?

Kim Jong Un became North Korea’s leader in late 2011 after the death of his father Kim Jong Il.

Many wondered what the young, Swiss-educated leader would do for the poor, isolated¹ country with nuclear weapons. Almost six years later, there are still unanswered questions. But the world has learned some things about Kim.

Kim Jong Un has actually improved North Korea’s economy under his rule. Unlike the father, he seems uninterested in negotiations² on its nuclear program. And the world has cause for concern with the latest test firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

What is Kim doing?

His father, who ruled North Korea from 1994 to 2011, also ordered a series of weapons tests. But the elder Kim was willing to discuss weapons for food exchanges.

No such talks have happened under Kim Jong Un. He has overseen³ three of the North’s five atomic test explosions and both of its successful satellite launches. Experts view the launches as a test of long-range missile technology.

On July 4, North Korea launched an ICBM that could reach the American state of Alaska. Kim celebrated⁴ the successful missile test as a “gift” to the United States on its Independence Day holiday. Kim said that North Korea will not give up its weapons until the U.S. stops its hostile policy against the North.

Why is Kim willing to take risks?

Kim is believed to be 33 years old. As ruler of North Korea, he has not met any foreign leaders or traveled abroad. The best-known foreigner he has met: former NBA player Dennis Rodman.

The North Korean leader may have believed that the U.S. and its allies will not attack his country directly. Experts fear many people in South Korea will be killed if the North chose to retaliate⁵. The capital city of Seoul with its 10 million residents is within the range of North Korea’s artillery⁶ along the border.

Kim may also have believed that China, North Korea’s neighbor and ally, does not want a weakened North Korea along its border. Last February, North Korean agents removed a possible rival for power in North Korea. The agents killed Kim Jong Nam, the leader’s half brother, when he was in Malaysia.

North Korea’s economic growth in recent years has also allowed Kim to focus on his nuclear program. His father, by comparison, had to negotiate with other countries for food after a famine in the mid-1990s that killed tens of thousands.

What does Kim want?

Kim has seen what happened to Libya’s Moammar Qaddafi and Iraq’s Saddam Hussein after they gave their up nuclear weapons programs.

Cheong Seong-Chang is an analyst⁷ at South Korea’s Sejong Institute. He said, “Kim doesn’t want to resolve issues through diplomacy⁸. He’s just trying to protect himself by reinforcing his country’s military power.”

Kim likely thinks his nuclear bombs will prevent the U.S. from entering a conflict on the Korean Peninsula. “If North Korea demonstrates its ability to strike Washington and New York ... and threatens to turn them into a sea of fire, the U.S. couldn’t easily enter a war,” Cheong said.

It will take more time for North Korea to master the technology for a working ICBM. Once that is accomplished⁹, Kim could push for talks to end U.N. sanctions against North Korea. In the events of such talks, Kim is not likely to give up his country nuclear weapons.

“He cannot give up nukes [nuclear weapons] because they are the core of his power,” said Cho Han Bum¹⁰, an analyst at South Korea’s Korea Institute for National Unification.

What could stand in Kim’s way?

The North Korean ICBM could be capable of reaching Alaska. But experts say the North still needs to master several more technologies before the missile will work perfectly¹¹. When that happens, the U.S. might reconsider military strikes, Cho said.

Aside from a U.S. attack, China could suspend or reduce its oil shipments to the North.

China sends about 500,000 tons of crude oil to North Korea every year. That is nearly 90 percent of the North’s oil supply, according to Cho Bong-hyun of Seoul’s IBK Economic Research Institute.

If China ends its oil shipments, the North’s military cannot fly its warplanes or operate its tanks. That will not help Kim to stay in power, Cheong predicts.

“We can see he’s so far run North Korea in a smarter way than his father,” Cheong said. “But there is a high possibility that his adventurous¹², uncompromising attitude will eventually make things turn out badly.”

I’m Anne Ball.

Words in This Story

Isolated – adj. separate from others

Retaliate – v. make an attack in return for a similar attack

Resident – n. someone who live in a particular place

Rival – n. someone that is almost as good

Famine – n. a situation in which many people do not have enough food to eat

Reinforce – v. to strengthen by adding supplies, support or people

Sanction – n. action taken to force a country to obey international laws by limiting trade or economic aid

Core – n. the central part of something

Adventurous – adj. full of danger and excitement

1 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

2 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

3 overseen   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was overseen stealing the letters. 他被人撞见在偷信件。 来自辞典例句
• It will be overseen by ThomasLi, director of IBM China Research Laboratory. 该实验室由IBM中国研究院院长李实恭(ThomasLi)引导。 来自互联网

4 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

5 retaliate   

v.报复，反击

参考例句：

• He sought every opportunity to retaliate against his enemy.他找机会向他的敌人反击。
• It is strictly forbidden to retaliate against the quality inspectors.严禁对质量检验人员进行打击报复。

6 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

7 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

8 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

9 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

10 bum   

n.臀部；流浪汉，乞丐；vt.乞求，乞讨

参考例句：

• A man pinched her bum on the train so she hit him.在火车上有人捏她屁股，她打了那人。
• The penniless man had to bum a ride home.那个身无分文的人只好乞求搭车回家。

11 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

12 adventurous   

adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的　

参考例句：

• I was filled with envy at their adventurous lifestyle.我很羨慕他们敢于冒险的生活方式。
• He was predestined to lead an adventurous life.他注定要过冒险的生活。