2006年VOA标准英语-North Korea's Nuclear Programs Move Forward, No

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
23 December 2006

Despite a push for a diplomatic breakthrough at the end of 2006, the effort to keep North Korea out of the nuclear weapons club not only did not succeed - it lost ground. In October, the North defied international warnings and conducted its first nuclear test. Despite the resulting international sanctions, an emboldened¹ Pyongyang says it will hold on to its nuclear weapons until its demands are fulfilled. VOA Seoul correspondent Kurt Achin takes a look back at year in which, some security experts say, the world became a slightly more dangerous place.

2006 drew to a close very much in the same way it began: with the United States and its partners demanding Pyongyang take steps to get out of the business of making nuclear weapons - and with Pyongyang saying no.

Despite a week of arduous² diplomacy³ in Beijing in December, participants in the six-nation nuclear talks announced no concrete steps toward getting North Korea to live up to its denuclearization promises.

 
Christopher Hill
Chief U.S. delegate, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, said the talks were going into recess⁴, and might resume within weeks.

"Of course we're disappointed that we weren't able to get this done. But as I said let's see what we can do," he said.

Over the past three years, the United States, Russia, China, Japan, and South Korea have promised the impoverished⁵ North economic and diplomatic benefits, if it ends its nuclear programs.

Despite having pledged in principle in September 2005 to start dismantling⁶ its nuclear facilities, Pyongyang maintained throughout 2006 it would not move toward keeping the promise until the United States lifts financial measures against it. Washington says the sanctions are meant to stop North Korean money laundering⁷ and counterfeiting⁸.

Pyongyang stuck to that demand during the December session of the six-party talks and avoided all discussion on disarming⁹.

The North Koreans opened the talks by declaring their country a nuclear power, and issuing a robust¹⁰ list of demands - a sign, regional experts say, that they feel emboldened by a line they crossed on October 9.

That is when Pyongyang proudly announced it had conducted an underground test of a nuclear weapon.

Kim Taewoo, senior analyst¹¹ at Seoul's Korea Institute for Defense¹² Analyses, says that single blast rewrote the whole security equation for North Asia.

He says the test made it justifiable¹³ for other Asian countries, like Japan, to consider developing nuclear arsenals¹⁴. At the same time, attempts to contain the spread of nuclear weapons around the world were severely¹⁵ weakened. He adds that the fragile diplomatic and military balance between North and South Korea was also distorted.

After the nuclear test, the United Nations Security Council responded quickly - unanimously passing economic sanctions against the North. Even China, Pyongyang's longtime ally, voted for the sanctions.

The political reverberations in South Korea, still technically¹⁶ at war with the North since the 1950s, were immediate¹⁷.

Lawmakers in South Korea angrily grilled¹⁸ officials in the administration of South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun about his policy of engagement with North Korea.

 
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun speaks during a nationally televised press conference at the President House in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2006
President Roh, seeking to build on a historic North-South summit in 2000, favors an uncritical and financially generous approach toward the North. The so-called Sunshine policy is meant to encourage North Korea to open up and end its isolation¹⁹.

But with the nuclear test, critics around the world, and even Mr. Roh, questioned whether Pyongyang was living up to its side of the bargain.

In an October speech, Mr. Roh announced the policy would need some "adjustments", although he did not abandon engagement.

Most experts in South Korea and elsewhere say seeking engagement is preferable to the risks of tension and conflict on the peninsula. The debate is between those who say the policy needs to demand more reciprocity from the North, and those who say uncritical patience will pay off in the long run.

Lee Jang-hie, president of the South Korean branch of the International Law Association, supports that view, and says the United States deserves some blame for the stalled nuclear talks.

He says North Korea has no choice but to hang on to its nuclear negotiation²⁰ card, because the United States will not guarantee the North's regime security.

The United States, on the other hand, thinks that Mr. Roh's policy and aid from both South Korea and China have encouraged Pyongyang's pursuit of nuclear weapons. The U.S. government has urged both Beijing and Seoul to thoroughly²¹ enforce the U.N. sanctions limiting shipments of weapons materials and luxury goods to North Korea - something both governments have been hesitant about.

Some regional security experts think there is little that will persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear programs. Even tougher sanctions, which could cut off some of the international aid Pyongyang has relied on for a decade to feed its people, may have no effect.

Park Yung-ho, of Seoul's Korea Institute for National Unification, thinks the North has no choice but to hang on to its nuclear weapons - because they are the only remaining semblance²² of power and legitimacy²³ for the failed dynasty of the ruling Kim family.

Park says the only way out of the nuclear problem is for North Korea's system to transform dramatically.

However, Kim Sung-han, an analyst with Seoul's government-supported Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, say there are some reasons for hope in the nuclear discussions as 2007 dawns.

He says 2007 leads up to key political events in three of the countries in the six-party talks. China will be making final preparations for the 2008 Olympics; the United States will be heading into its 2008 presidential election; and South Korea votes in December for a new president. All three events increase the pressure to resolve the nuclear issue.

If the talks fail to progress, and North Korea deepens its commitment to nuclear weapons, Washington and other countries have warned, it will become more estranged²⁴ from the rest of the world. As a result, the North's already severe economic hardships may only get worse.

1 emboldened   

v.鼓励，使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Emboldened by the wine, he went over to introduce himself to her. 他借酒壮胆，走上前去向她作自我介绍。
• His success emboldened him to expand his business. 他有了成就因而激发他进一步扩展业务。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 arduous   

adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的

参考例句：

• We must have patience in doing arduous work.我们做艰苦的工作要有耐性。
• The task was more arduous than he had calculated.这项任务比他所估计的要艰巨得多。

3 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。

4 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

5 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

7 laundering   

n.洗涤（衣等），洗烫（衣等）；洗（钱）v.洗（衣服等），洗烫（衣服等）( launder的现在分词 )；洗（黑钱）（把非法收入改头换面，变为貌似合法的收入）

参考例句：

• Separate the white clothes from the dark clothes before laundering. 洗衣前应当把浅色衣服和深色衣服分开。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was charged with laundering money. 他被指控洗钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 counterfeiting   

n.伪造v.仿制，造假( counterfeit的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was sent to prison for counterfeiting five-dollar bills. 他因伪造5美元的钞票被捕入狱。 来自辞典例句
• National bureau released securities, certificates with security anti-counterfeiting paper technical standards. 国家质量技术监督局发布了证券、证件用安全性防伪纸张技术标准。 来自互联网

9 disarming   

adj.消除敌意的，使人消气的v.裁军( disarm的现在分词 )；使息怒

参考例句：

• He flashed her a disarming smile. 他朝她笑了一下，让她消消气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We will agree to disarming troops and leaving their weapons at military positions. 我们将同意解除军队的武装并把武器留在军事阵地。 来自辞典例句

10 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

11 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。

12 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

13 justifiable   

adj.有理由的，无可非议的

参考例句：

• What he has done is hardly justifiable.他的所作所为说不过去。
• Justifiable defense is the act being exempted from crimes.正当防卫不属于犯罪行为。

14 arsenals   

n.兵工厂，军火库( arsenal的名词复数 )；任何事物的集成

参考例句：

• We possess-each of us-nuclear arsenals capable of annihilating humanity. 我们两国都拥有能够毁灭全人类的核武库。 来自辞典例句
• Arsenals are factories that produce weapons. 军工厂是生产武器的工厂。 来自互联网

15 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

16 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

17 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

18 grilled   

adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• He was grilled for two hours before the police let him go. 他被严厉盘查了两个小时后，警察才放他走。
• He was grilled until he confessed. 他被严加拷问，直到他承认为止。

19 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

20 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

21 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

22 semblance   

n.外貌，外表

参考例句：

• Her semblance of anger frightened the children.她生气的样子使孩子们感到害怕。
• Those clouds have the semblance of a large head.那些云的形状像一个巨大的人头。

23 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

24 estranged   

adj.疏远的，分离的

参考例句：

• He became estranged from his family after the argument.那场争吵后他便与家人疏远了。
• The argument estranged him from his brother.争吵使他同他的兄弟之间的关系疏远了。