VOA常速英语2008年-S. Korea Warns North's Nuclear Stall May Slow E

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
20 March 2008

South Korea's chief official on North Korea policy has warned a continued lack of progress in talks on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons could threaten the growth of a joint¹ industrial park.  The park, built by South Korea in the Northern city of Kaesong, was considered all but untouchable by previous administrations.  VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul.
 

South Korean Unification Minister Kim Ha-joong told South Korean businessmen this week, an ongoing² stall in North Korea's nuclear weapons diplomacy³ could translate into a stall on economic cooperation with the South.

Kim says a lack of progress in multinational⁴ talks aimed at eliminating the North's nuclear weapons could threaten the scheduled expansion of a South Korean-built industrial park in the North Korean city of Kaesong.

The Kaesong industrial zone is one of the main fruits of a historic inter-Korean summit in 2000, which led to enhanced economic cooperation between the two sides. Today about 22,000 North Koreans work in the zone, mostly making low-skilled manufactured goods for South Korean companies.

The zone was prized by the administration of previous South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun as a centerpiece of Seoul's peaceful engagement with the North. Even after North Korea conducted its first nuclear weapons test in October 2006, South Korean officials did not halt Kaesong's operations or seriously challenge its future prospects⁵ for expansion.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, inaugurated last month, has said he will not treat North-South cooperation as a separate matter from the nuclear issue. Officials in Lee's government have said eliminating the North's nuclear weapons are a precondition for improving the North-South relationship.

North Korea is three months overdue⁶ in providing a nuclear declaration it promised multinational negotiators it would produce by the end of last year. Pyongyang has given no clear indication of when or if it will fulfill⁷ its pledge.

A senior analyst⁸ at the Korean Institute for National Unification in Seoul, Kim Yong-yun, says Unification Minister Kim's comments about Kaesong are bound to get Pyongyang's attention. He says threatening the expansion of the Kaesong zone sends a strong message to North Korea that the South Korean government wants the nuclear issue resolved quickly.

A group of about 200 South Korean businessmen is touring the North in search of potential investment opportunities. The visit is part of what the Lee administration describes as its "businesslike and practical" approach to dealing⁹ with the North.

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 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

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 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。

5 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

6 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。

7 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

8 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。

9 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。