VOA标准英语2009年-N. Korea Softens Economic Demands on South

North Korea has withdrawn¹ its insistence² on massive wage increases from South Korea at a jointly³-run factory zone in the North. The move is widely seen as part of a broader charm offensive by Pyongyang, but comes as South Korea remains⁴ angry at a flood the North caused.
　
South Korean cargo⁵ trucks head to the North Korean city of Kaesong, 01 Sept 2009

South Korean Unification Ministry⁶ spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo says North Korea has stepped back from a strident demand it made earlier this year.

She says North Korea has proposed the South raise wages at a jointly run industrial facility by five percent, to just under $58 a month. She adds that is in line with previous years.

South Korean companies employ nearly 40,000 North Koreans to produce basic manufactured goods at a special cooperative zone in the North Korean city of Kaesong. The project was a conceived as a practical laboratory for cooperation between the two Koreas, which remain technically⁷ at war.

However, the zone encountered problems when North Korea became upset with the conservative policies of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. Pyongyang announced in May it was cancelling all wage and rent agreements for the zone, and demanded that the South Korean companies sharply raise their payments.
　
S. Korean President Lee Myung-bak (File)

Many North Korea experts see Friday's far more modest wage proposal in the context of a recent thaw⁸ Pyongyang's attitude toward the South - possibly aimed at boosting economic assistance as the North feels the pinch of international sanctions.

However, it also comes just days after North Korea enraged⁹ many South Koreans by releasing water from a hydroelectric dam. The resulting flood in the South left six people dead.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry on Friday condemned¹⁰ the North's action. Moon Tae-young, a ministry spokesman, says North Korea's actions on this occasion can be seen as having violated customary international law.

South Korean officials have demanded a formal apology from the North and say they have not yet decided¹¹ whether and how to pursue the matter further.

Choi Jong-kun, an international relations professor at Seoul's Yonsei University, thinks the declaration that Pyongyang violated international law is mainly for the consumption of angry South Koreans.

"Basically, who are we trying to soothe¹², you know? We might release statements and whatnot, but are we going to sue them? I don't think so," he said.

Lim Eul-chul is a North Korea scholar at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies. He sees a connection between the flooding incident and North's conciliatory proposal on Kaesong zone wages.

He says the North probably feels uncomfortable about worsening public opinion over the flooding, and does not want it to get in the way of improving relations with South Korea and the United States.

1 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

2 insistence   

n.坚持；强调；坚决主张

参考例句：

• They were united in their insistence that she should go to college.他们一致坚持她应上大学。
• His insistence upon strict obedience is correct.他坚持绝对服从是对的。

3 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

4 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。

5 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

7 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。

8 thaw   

v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和

参考例句：

• The snow is beginning to thaw.雪已开始融化。
• The spring thaw caused heavy flooding.春天解冻引起了洪水泛滥。

9 enraged   

使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤

参考例句：

• I was enraged to find they had disobeyed my orders. 发现他们违抗了我的命令，我极为恼火。
• The judge was enraged and stroke the table for several times. 大法官被气得连连拍案。

10 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 soothe   

v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承

参考例句：

• I've managed to soothe him down a bit.我想方设法使他平静了一点。
• This medicine should soothe your sore throat.这种药会减轻你的喉痛。