VOA慢速英语2020 前朝鲜驻英公使太永浩当选韩国国会议员

A former North Korean diplomat¹ has won a seat in South Korea's National Assembly.

一名朝鲜前外交官在韩国国民议会中赢得了一个席位。

Thae Yong Ho was a candidate in the South Korean parliamentary elections on Wednesday. He became the first North Korean to have fled the North and won an assembly seat. Tens of thousands of North Koreans live in South Korea.

太永浩是周三举行的韩国议会选举的候选人。他成为了首位逃离朝鲜并赢得议会席位的朝鲜人。成千上万的朝鲜人居住在韩国。

Thae was elected to represent voters in the mostly wealthy Gangnam neighborhood in Seoul. He was a former minister at the North Korean embassy in London. He defected and resettled in South Korea with his family in 2016.

太永浩当选成为首尔最富裕的江南区的选民代表。他曾担任朝鲜驻伦敦大使馆公使。他于2016年与家人叛逃并在韩国定居。

"Republic of Korea is my motherland," an emotional Thae said at his campaign office. "I thank you (Gangnam voters) for selecting me to become the first (defector) from North Korea to win a constituency ... I'll only uphold your order and work hard."

情绪激动的太永浩在他的竞选办公室表示：“韩国是我的祖国。感谢江南区选民选举我成为首位赢得选区的脱北者。我将坚持维护您的指示并努力工作。”

Thae later bowed deeply and waved his hands, making his fingers in the shape of the letter V. He started singing South Korea's national anthem² with supporters as tears came to his eyes.

太永浩随后深鞠一躬，挥了挥手，并比出胜利的手势。他开始和支持者唱起韩国国歌，眼泪夺眶而出。

Thae is a member of the country's main conservative opposition³, the United Future Party. It has called for stronger action to deal with North Korea's nuclear activities and its record of human rights abuses.

太永浩是该国主要保守党派未来统合党的成员。该党呼吁采取更强有力的行动应对朝鲜的核活动及其侵犯人权的记录。

North Korea was not a major issue in the South Korean elections. Instead, many voters are concerned about the spread of the new coronavirus. The South's ruling, liberal Democratic Party espouses⁴ better relations with North Korea. The party took control of 180 of the 300 available seats, partly because of the government's reaction to the virus.

朝鲜不是韩国大选的主要议题。相反，许多选民担心新冠病毒的传播。韩国执政的自由民主党主张与朝鲜建立更好的关系。该党控制了300个席位中的180个，部分原因是政府对病毒的反应（让民众满意）。

Before the elections, Thae said he decided⁵ to compete for a seat in the National Assembly to help South Koreans understand the true nature of North Korea. He also said he wanted to map a better unification policy. He has said his election would give hope to suffering North Koreans.

在选举前，太永浩表示他决定争夺国民议会席位，以帮助韩国人了解朝鲜的真正本质。他还表示，他想要制定出一项更好的统一政策。他曾表示，他的当选会给遭受苦难的朝鲜人带去希望。

It is unusual for a member of the North's ruling elite⁶ to defect to South Korea. About 33,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea over the past 20 years. Most are rural people escaping poverty.

朝鲜统治精英成员叛逃韩国是很不寻常的。在过去20年里，有大约33000名朝鲜人逃到韩国。大多数都是逃离贫困的农村人员。

Thae has said he decided to flee because he did not want his children to live "miserable⁷" lives in North Korea. He said he was saddened after watching North Korean leader Kim Jong Un execute officials and seek development of nuclear weapons.

太永浩表示，他决定逃亡是不希望自己的孩子在朝鲜过着“悲惨的”生活。他说，看到朝鲜领导人金正恩处决官员并寻求发展核武器之后，他感到很难过。

North Korea has called Thae "human scum" and accused him of s

1 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

2 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 espouses   

v.（决定）支持，拥护（目标、主张等）( espouse的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She followed the feminist movement; The candidate espouses Republican ideals. 她支持女权运动；这个侯选人支持共和党人的观点。 来自互联网
• Give me a break – every decent company espouses these things! 让我歇歇吧–每一个正规公司都赞成这些！ 来自互联网

5 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。

6 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

7 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。