VOA慢速英语--韩国领导人应该讨论核问题还是军事局势?

Should Korean Leaders Discuss Nuclear Issue or Military Tensions?

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in are preparing to meet Tuesday in the North’s capital.

It will be their third meeting since April. The talks are to last three days.

The meeting comes a week after North and South Korea expanded military talks and opened a joint¹ communications office near the border. Those are the most recent in a series of steps both sides have taken to reduce tensions.

Observers say the talks this week are likely to build on the Panmunjom Declaration. The declaration is a set of goals the Korean leaders agreed to at their first meeting on April 27.

Moon Chung-in is special advisor² to the South Korean President for Unification, Foreign Affairs and National Security.

On Thursday, Moon said the meeting would continue the ideas that resulted in the Panmunjom Declaration. He added that the president “believes that improved inter-Korean relations have some role in facilitating US-DPRK (North Korea) talks and solving the North Korean nuclear problem.”

The nuclear issue and military tensions

Cheon Seong Whun is a researcher with the Asan Institute for Political Studies in Seoul. He said the international community should pay attention to the nuclear issue. He also said it remains³ to be seen if North Korea’s leader “is really willing to give up nuclear weapons” and return to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. That international agreement, first signed in 1968, is meant to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.

However, Kim Dong-yub of Kyung Nam University says nuclear weapons are not the most important issue right now. He said the goal of the Pyongyang talks should be to put an end to military conflict between the North and South. Kim said it is likely that the meeting will mainly deal with military issues.

The opening of the joint inter-Korean liaison⁴ office in Kaesong was one of the measures noted⁵ in the Panmunjom Declaration. A spokesman for the South Korean president’s office called it “a stout⁷ bridge connecting the two Koreas.”

Some observers, however, believe it will take time to build trust between the sides.

‘Bold decision’ needed?

Last week, Moon Jae-in said a lot depends on Kim Jong Un and United States President Donald Trump⁸. He said that they would need to make “bold decisions” to remove nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula.

“North Korea should abolish its nuclear program and the United States should foster such conditions with corresponding action,” Moon said.

He spoke⁶ after U.S. officials announced that Trump had received a letter from Kim seeking a second meeting between the two sides. Trump and Kim met in Singapore on June 12.

A Trump administration spokesperson said that a second meeting “is something that we want to take place.”

Later in the week, Moon Chung-in suggested that the North Korean leader should make a bold move on his own.

One possibility might be to surrender 15 to 20 nuclear weapons and missiles. In return, the U.S. could remove economic restrictions⁹ on the North, or possibly establish a liaison office in Pyongyang and negotiate an official end to the Korean War.

I’m Mario Ritter.

Words in This Story

role – n. a part that someone or something has in an activity or situation

facilitate – v. to help something run more smoothly¹⁰ or effectively

liaison – n. a relationship that allows different organizations or groups to work together and provide information to each other

stout – adj. thick and strong

bold – adj. showing or needing confidence or lack of fear

abolish – v. to officially end or stop

foster – v. to help grow or develop

corresponding – adj. matching something else

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 liaison   

n.联系，（未婚男女间的）暖昧关系，私通

参考例句：

• She acts as a liaison between patients and staff.她在病人与医护人员间充当沟通的桥梁。
• She is responsible for liaison with researchers at other universities.她负责与其他大学的研究人员联系。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 stout   

adj.强壮的，粗大的，结实的，勇猛的，矮胖的

参考例句：

• He cut a stout stick to help him walk.他砍了一根结实的枝条用来拄着走路。
• The stout old man waddled across the road.那肥胖的老人一跩一跩地穿过马路。

8 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

9 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

10 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。