An industrial venture once celebrated as a symbol of reconciliation between the two Koreas may be endangered by a sharpening dispute between the two sides. North Korea is essentially tearing up the agreements that make the zone run.
南北韩之间激烈的争执也许会危及一度被赞扬为是双边和解象征的一个合资工业园区。北韩方面实际上撕毁了工业园区赖以运作的合同。
North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency declared Friday "the nullification of all incumbent regulations and contracts regarding the Kaesong industrial complex." If carried through, the move puts the joint North-South factory zone into a legal freefall that could threaten its very existence.
北韩官方朝中社星期五宣布，“废除所有与开城工业园区相关的现行规定与合同”。如果这项宣布得以实施，那么这个南北韩合资的工业园区将立刻失去法律依据，工业园区的生存就会受到威胁。
The Kaesong zone, located in North Korean territory just inside the North-South Korean border, was established about ten years ago as an experiment in peaceful cooperation between the two countries, which remain technically at war. South Korean companies use more than 30,000 inexpensive North Korean laborers to manufacture basic consumer goods like cookware and apparel.
开城工业园区座落在南北韩边界的北韩一侧，大约是在10年前建立的。从技术上说，南北韩仍然处于战争状态，这是两国进行和平合作的一个试点。韩国公司利用3万多名北韩廉价工人生产饭锅和服装等基本生活消费品。
Pyongyang says all of the contracts regarding wages, taxes, and usage fees are now void. It says it will issue its own unilateral terms to the South which it can either accept or not.
平壤说，有关工资、税务和使用费等所有合同现在都已无效。北韩将自行制定单方面条款，不论韩国接受与否。
South Korean Unification Ministry Spokesman Kim Ho-nyeon says Seoul will not accept the North's terms, which threatens the fundamental operating security of the zone. He says North Korea's 'take it or leave it' stance is irresponsible. He adds, it implies the North does not have the will to sustain the Kaesong complex.
韩国统一部发言人金浩年说，首尔不接受北韩的条款，这些条款将会威胁该工业园区基本的运营安全。他说，北韩的“要么接受、要么放弃”的立场是不负责任的。这显示北韩没有意愿要开城工业园区继续开办下去。
The Kaesong complex has experienced other obstacles in tandem with a gradual worsening of North-South relations over the past year and a half. North Korea has detained a South Korean executive for more than a month. He is accused of making inappropriate political comments about North Korea's leadership, and possibly seeking to persuade a North Korean woman to defect.
开城工业园区先前经历的另一个障碍是南北韩过去一年半里逐渐恶化的双边关系。
North Korea has refused to allow any outside contact with the executive, whether by South Korean officials or legal representatives. At a rare North-South government meeting, the North refused to even discuss the detained executive, instead handing the South demands for more money to continue running the Kaesong zone.
北韩拒绝让外界跟这名韩国管理人员取得任何联系，不论是韩国官员还是法律代表。 在南北韩政府间的一个难得举行的会议上，北韩甚至拒绝讨论被拘押韩国管理人员的情况，而是向韩国提出更多金钱要求，以继续开办开城工业园区。
Friday's announcement from Pyongyang follows several days of negotiations between North and South aimed at setting up formal talks about the Kaesong zone. North Korea's statement accuses the South of showing an "insincere attitude" in the talks.
为了双边就开城工业园区举办正式会谈的问题，南北韩举行谈判。平壤星期五的宣布是在这场谈判进行了几天之后做出的。北韩的声明谴责韩国在谈判中“态度不诚恳”。
Despite the tension, South Korean spokesman Kim says a path to dialogue remains open. He says it is wrong for North Korea to form its Kaesong policy unilaterally. He urges the North to come back to the table and put aside its cancellation of the contracts governing the zone.
尽管局势紧张，但韩国发言人金浩年仍然表示，对话的渠道仍然畅通。他说，北韩单方面制定有关开城工业园区的政策是错误的。他敦促北韩重返谈判桌，搁置有关工业园区合同无效的决定。
Several hundred South Korean managers remain in Kaesong to oversee operations. It remains to be seen how long South Korea will allow them to remain, with the legal framework governing their presence so uncertain.
数百名韩国管理人员仍然留在开城，监管工业园区的运作。有关他们留在北韩的法律框架现在变得如此不确定，韩国决定这些人能够留在北韩多久，还有待观察。 |