VOA常速英语2007-North Korea Moves Toward Ending Weapons Program

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
09 October 2007

It has been a year since North Korea alarmed the world by demonstrating its nuclear weapons capability¹ with an underground test. In the months since, multinational² diplomacy³ dealing⁴ with North Korea's nuclear weapons picked up urgency - and has made progress. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul.

Last October, North Korean broadcasters announced that North Korean scientists had conducted the country's first nuclear weapons test.

The test violated several North Korean pledges not to build nuclear weapons. It prompted condemnation⁵ and sanctions by the United Nations as well as South Korea, the United States and Japan.

The test even drew condemnation from China, the North's main ally and provider of fuel and raw materials. Regional political analysts⁶ say Beijing began using its economic leverage⁷ to pressure Pyongyang back to six-nation talks aimed at ending its nuclear weapons programs.

A year later, those talks have shown significant progress. South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo recently spoke⁸ to lawmakers in Seoul about the process.

Mr. Han says South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun is convinced the North Korean nuclear weapons issue will be rapidly resolved.

Last week, Mr. Roh met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, and they signed an accord to cooperate on fulfilling Pyongyang's pledge to abandon its nuclear programs.

That pledge was made early this year, after four years of diplomatic effort by South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States. In return, those countries offered North Korea energy, aid and diplomatic incentives⁹.

As part of the deal, Pyongyang halted operations at its main nuclear facility. A U.S. team of scientists is due in North Korea this week to discuss fully¹⁰ disabling the Yongbyon complex.

North Korea also promised to declare and dismantle¹¹ all of its other nuclear programs. U.S. and South Korean officials say they are optimistic that can be done soon - possibly even by the end of this year.

South Korea and China sent the North 100,000 tons of fuel oil in return for shutting down Yongbyon. Pyongyang stands to receive 900,000 tons more if it meets all its other commitments.

Many experts say the turnaround in North Korea's behavior is the result of changing attitudes in both Pyongyang and Washington.

Two years ago, Washington blacklisted a Macau bank that U.S. officials say helped North Korea launder¹² money and circulate counterfeit¹³ dollars. Virtually all the world's banks severed¹⁴ ties with Pyongyang as a result. Many regional experts say the resulting financial pressure pushed the impoverished¹⁵ North back to the six-nation talks.

Experts say Washington's cooperation in resolving the banking¹⁶ issue had a strong effect on North Korea's thinking. Moon Chung-In is an international relations professor at Seoul's Yonsei University who accompanied President Roh on his recent summit in Pyongyang. He says the North Korean leader is beginning to take the Bush administration seriously.

"I think Kim Jong Il has realized the authenticity¹⁷ of President Bush's policy on North Korea, and the North Korean nuclear issue," he said.

For years, Moon and other experts have said the Bush administration had a two-track approach to dealing with North Korea. They say even as U.S. diplomats¹⁸ sought to engage Pyongyang, other officials undermined diplomatic efforts, because of their view that North Korea's Stalinist government is evil.

President Bush's former assistant secretary of state, Jack¹⁹ Pritchard, told the Korea Society earlier this year that he supports that analysis.

Pritchard says things changed over the past year as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill began to dominate North Korea policy.

"The removal of the hard-line element around the president … gave an opportunity for Chris Hill and Secretary Rice to change," he said.

Some experts think that Hill, who represents Washington at the six-nation nuclear talks, now has a stronger hand than a year ago to engage in give-and-take with Pyongyang.

The negotiations²⁰ still face considerable challenges, however. Japan has just extended for six months the sanctions it imposed on the North after last year's nuclear test. Tokyo also says it will not provide aid or normalize relations with North Korea unless Pyongyang is more forthcoming about Japanese citizens it abducted²¹ in the 1970's and '80's.

There also remains²² considerable skepticism about North Korea's willingness to give up any nuclear bombs it already has. Many experts think nuclear arms are too tightly woven into the North's concept of itself as a strong nation. Others think Pyongyang will hold onto its weapons both as a defense²³ against what it sees as a hostile world, and as a potential source of income from selling the technology to other countries.

1 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

2 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

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 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

5 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

6 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

7 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

8 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。

9 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

10 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

11 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

12 launder   

v.洗涤；洗黑钱（把来路可疑的钱弄得似乎合法）

参考例句：

• She wore a freshly laundered and starched white shirt.她穿一件刚刚浆洗熨烫过的白色衬衣。
• The gang launders the steal money through their chain of restaurants.这帮匪徒通过他们的连锁饭店洗赃款。

13 counterfeit   

vt.伪造，仿造；adj.伪造的，假冒的

参考例句：

• It is a crime to counterfeit money.伪造货币是犯罪行为。
• The painting looked old but was a recent counterfeit.这幅画看上去年代久远，实际是最近的一幅赝品。

14 severed   

v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂

参考例句：

• The doctor said I'd severed a vessel in my leg. 医生说我割断了腿上的一根血管。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We have severed diplomatic relations with that country. 我们与那个国家断绝了外交关系。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 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》

16 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

17 authenticity   

n.真实性

参考例句：

• There has been some debate over the authenticity of his will. 对于他的遗嘱的真实性一直有争论。
• The museum is seeking an expert opinion on the authenticity of the painting. 博物馆在请专家鉴定那幅画的真伪。

18 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》

19 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

20 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。

21 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。

22 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。

23 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。