VOA常速英语2008年-S. Korean President Leaves For Summits Aimed At

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
14 April 2008

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has departed South Korea for a week of summit diplomacy¹ aimed at turning a new page in ties with Japan and the United States. Lee administration officials say the president is particularly hoping to repair Seoul's relationship with Washington. VOA's Kurt Achin in Seoul reports.

South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo told reporters Monday in Seoul that President Lee Myung-bak's summit trip to Washington is about "re-energizing" and "reconsolidating" the alliance between the two countries. He also cautioned North Korea not to attempt to exclude South Korea from any deal aimed at ending the North's nuclear weapons programs.

"Our relationship with the United States is very strong," he said. "We've been allies for many, many years. So going to the United States over the shoulder of the Republic of Korea [South Korea] will not succeed."

Han's words echoed those of President Lee himself, who held a nationally televised news conference Sunday before departing Monday for the United States. Mr. Lee says North Korea will be a key topic in his talks with President Bush at the Camp David retreat in Maryland. He says compared to previous South Korean administrations, his government will be more active in closely coordinating² policy on North Korea with the United States.

North Korea invaded the South in 1950 - five years after the U.S. liberated³ the Korean peninsula from Japanese rule. The United States deploys⁴ about 28,000 forces here to uphold a 1953 North-South armistice⁵ and to deter⁶ a repeat invasion.

Some experts have criticized Mr. Lee's two most recent predecessors⁷ for seeking engagement and peaceful economic cooperation with the North at the expense of the alliance with the United States. The North tested its first nuclear weapon in 2006, an event some say was made easier by the relatively⁸ uncritical transfers of billions of dollars worth of aid and investment from the South.

President Lee - a conservative former corporate⁹ chairman - says the South will continue to help the North, but only if Pyongyang cooperates on getting rid of its nuclear weapons.He says South Korea will persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear program through ongoing¹⁰ six-nation diplomacy, and that the North must come to realize that ending its nuclear programs will be beneficial.

North Korea is now nearly five months overdue¹¹ in providing a declaration of its nuclear activities that it promised to produce by the end of last year.

A recent U.S. - North Korea meeting in Singapore has fostered hope a breakthrough may be near. South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan says he hopes the negotiations¹² can get back to a brisk pace.

He says South Korea believes the multinational¹³ nuclear diplomacy needs to resume by next month, and that the six nations should ideally sign a new phase of a disarmament agreement by August.

1 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。

2 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

3 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。

4 deploys   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的第三人称单数 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• It then deploys "decoy" programs designed to attract the virus. 然后，它释放“诱饵”去吸引病毒。
• But when that doesn't work, he deploys his secret defense mechanism. 但没有效果，它要施展绝密自卫武器了。

5 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。

6 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

7 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

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。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

9 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

10 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。

11 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。

12 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。

13 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。