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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
North Korea Offers to Close Missile Testing Center, Launch Area
The leaders of North and South Korea say they have agreed to turn the Korean peninsula into a “land of peace without nuclear weapons and nuclear threats.”
The agreement was announced Wednesday on the second day of talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. They spoke1 to reporters after meeting in Pyongyang.
At the meeting, North Korea announced plans to invite international observers to watch the closing of its missile testing center and launch area at Dongchang-ri.
North Korea also offered to close its main nuclear center at Yongbyon, but on one condition. In exchange, the North said it was seeking “corresponding measures” from the United States. It is not yet clear what those measures would be.
South Korean President Moon traveled to the North Korean capital on Tuesday for his third meeting this year with the North Korean leader. Moon is seeking to break an impasse2 in negotiations3 to end the North’s nuclear weapons program.
The two leaders signed a joint4 statement on Wednesday. In addition, military representatives signed a document stating steps to ease military tensions between North and South. That document called for, among other things, setting up buffer5 zones in places where the two militaries could come into conflict.
Also, Kim Jong Un said he would visit Seoul in the near future. Moon said the visit is expected to take place before the end of 2018.
In Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump6 expressed approval of the latest developments, calling them “Very exciting!” on Twitter.
Concerns over sanctions
North and South Korea have announced a number of joint economic projects, including plans to build roads and railways. However, some Korea watchers believe that some of the new agreements could violate United Nations sanctions on North Korea.
Days before the meeting in Pyongyang, the U.S. government ordered sanctions to punish a company based in China, its top official and a company linked to Russia.
The goal of the economic restrictions7 is to force the North Korean government to negotiate an end to its nuclear weapons and missile programs. The U.S. and Japan say those programs are a direct threat to them.
Members of the U.S. Congress and some experts say there has been no clear sign that North Korea plans to denuclearize.
Harry8 Kazianis is an expert in defense9 studies at the Center for National Interest in Washington, D.C. He said the sanctions remain in place and are a major issue. But first, “Kim needs to make major progress toward denuclearization,” he said.
President Moon will travel to New York next week for the United Nations General Assembly. Moon said he looked “forward to North Korea and the United States resuming their dialogue.” He is expected to meet with President Trump on September 24.
Moon added that South Korea would continue its part in supporting talks between the U.S. and North Korea. The aim, he said, is that the sides will “hold another summit as soon as possible and find a middle ground to reach an agreement.”
Also on Wednesday, the two Koreas announced that they would seek to jointly10 hold the 2032 Summer Olympic Games. They also said they would work closely together in preparation for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
I’m Mario Ritter.
Words in This Story
peninsula –n. a piece of land that is almost entirely11 surrounded by water and but is attached to a larger land area
corresponding –adj. having the same characteristics as something else; matching something else
impasse –n. a situation in which no progress seems possible
buffer zone –n. an area that keeps two things separated
sanction –n. an action taken to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country
resume –v. to begin again after stopping
dialogue –n. a discussion or series of discussions that two groups or countries have in order to end a disagreement
summit –n. a meeting or series of meetings between the leaders of two or more governments
1 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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2 impasse | |
n.僵局;死路 | |
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3 negotiations | |
协商( negotiation的名词复数 ); 谈判; 完成(难事); 通过 | |
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4 joint | |
adj.联合的,共同的;n.关节,接合处;v.连接,贴合 | |
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5 buffer | |
n.起缓冲作用的人(或物),缓冲器;vt.缓冲 | |
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6 trump | |
n.王牌,法宝;v.打出王牌,吹喇叭 | |
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7 restrictions | |
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则) | |
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8 harry | |
vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼 | |
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9 defense | |
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩 | |
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10 jointly | |
ad.联合地,共同地 | |
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11 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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