VOA常速英语2007年-North, South Korean Joint Sea Zone Proposal Sta

By Kurt Achin
Panmunjom
14 December 2007

North and South Korean generals have failed to agree on the specifics of a proposal for cooperation between the two rivals. The latest round of high-level military talks has ended with no progress on creating a joint¹ fishing zone. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Panmunjom.

North and South Korean generals say they will keep talking - but for now, they say the idea of a shared fishing zone is not ready for reality.

Senior officers from the communist North and the capitalist South concluded talks amicably² with lunch Friday at the village of Panmunjom, in the middle of the Demilitarized Zone separating their two countries. It was here that a 1953 armistice³ was signed to end three years of fighting after the North invaded the South in 1950. There has never been a formal treaty and the two sides are technically⁴ at war.

The sticking point of this week's three days of talks is a promise made in October between South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il. They vowed⁵ to create a joint fishing zone in waters west of the Korean peninsula.

North Korea has never accepted the sea border the United Nations drew, known as the Northern Limit Line, or NLL. The two Koreas have fought deadly naval⁶ clashes in the area.

South Korean Colonel Moon Sung-mook told reporters Friday the two sides have different ideas where that zone should be. He says South Korea wants the fishing zone to straddle the NLL, but North Korea wants the zone to be set completely south of the line, in waters internationally recognized as South Korean. Because of the impasse⁷, he says, there can be no agreement at this time.

The dispute led to a shoving match Thursday when a South Korean officer tried to stop a North Korean delegate from showing reporters a map detailing Pyongyang's proposal for a shared maritime⁸ zone. The South considers the information sensitive.

Moon says the two sides will continue talking in the future, and added that the negotiators managed to streamline⁹ customs procedures for South Koreans traveling to the North.

Since North and South Korea held their first summit seven years ago, hundreds of thousands of South Koreans have been able to travel north for business and tourism. South Korea built and manages two special zones in the North - a resort at Kumgang mountain, and an industrial park in the North Korean city of Kaesong.

South Korean military officers said Friday that North Korean agreed this week to allow both zones to begin using Internet and wireless¹⁰ telephone connections beginning next year.

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 amicably   

adv.友善地

参考例句：

• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The couple parted amicably. 这对夫妻客气地分手了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 armistice   

n.休战，停战协定

参考例句：

• The two nations signed an armistice.两国签署了停火协议。
• The Italian armistice is nothing but a clumsy trap.意大利的停战不过是一个笨拙的陷阱。

4 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。

5 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

6 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

7 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

8 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

9 streamline   

vt.使成流线型；使简化；使现代化

参考例句：

• We must streamline our methods.我们必须简化方法。
• Any liquid or gas passing it will have streamline flow.任何通过它的液体或气体将呈流线型的流动。

10 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。