VOA慢速英语--联合国宣布制裁后朝鲜仍发射导弹

AS IT IS 2016-03-04 North Korea Flies Missiles After UN Sanctions 联合国宣布制裁后朝鲜仍发射导弹

North Korea launched several short-range missiles from its eastern coast Thursday.

The action took place one day after the United Nations Security Council approved new sanctions against North Korea. U.N. members are seeking to punish North Korea for its nuclear and long-range missile tests earlier this year.

The South Korean Defense¹ Ministry² said it is investigating the incident. It is not clear how many missiles were fired.

U.S. officials say they are watching the situation closely.

The U.N. resolution had more than 50 co-sponsors. One measure put in place is the required inspection³ of all cargo⁴ going in and out of a community nation. There is also a total arms embargo⁵ including both conventional and other weapons. The resolution calls for restrictions⁶ on the sale of coal from North Korea, as well as other minerals, including gold, iron, iron ore and titanium.

An earlier ban on the sale or supply of aviation fuel to North Korea was revised. Aviation fuel can be used as rocket fuel. Russia urged that the measure be changed to permit fuel for passenger aircraft.

Banking⁷ sanctions also have been increased in addition to bans on the sale of luxury goods to North Korea. Travel bans and asset freezes also have been placed on 16 new individuals.

The vote on Wednesday came as the Security Council released a report on how North Korea has avoided international sanctions over ten years.

The report says the four rounds of increasingly strong U.N. measures imposed on North Korea since 2006 have not worked. It says sanctions have not persuaded the government of Kim Jong Un to stop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The U.N. report documents a number of cases where North Korea has avoided sanctions. The report shows how the North continues to use the international financial system, airlines and container shipping⁸ routes to trade banned items.

Report discusses problems with current sanctions

A 2006 U.N. resolution requires member states to report all inspections⁹ of North Korean cargo if it is suspected of carrying arms, whether a violation¹⁰ is found or not. However, in the past 10 years only one member has filed a report.

Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East, the report notes, continue to sell banned North Korean military equipment. These include parts for unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, and radar¹¹ systems.

The U.N. contacted the government of Myanmar about the possible involvement of a Myanmar-based group in attempts to ship aluminum¹² alloy¹³ parts to North Korea.

The aluminum rods can be used to make nuclear centrifuges. These were seized in Japan while being transported in 2012.

A number of companies identified

The Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation (KOMID) was identified in April 2009 as a main exporter of North Korean banned goods. These include equipment relating to ballistic missiles and conventional weapons.

But KOMID has been able to get around sanctions by using a different name and working though the Hong Kong shipping company Leader International.

The report says China-based Dalian Union International Trading took part in trade banned under U.N. sanctions. It says the company used a bank held by the Sunny International Development Company, registered in Hong Kong.

In 2015, Britain informed the panel about an attempt by North Korea to buy optical equipment for drones through companies based in China and registered in Hong Kong.

In 2014, the U.N. panel examined a North Korean drone that crashed on a South Korean border island. It said the drone was likely made by one of two Chinese companies. 

Manufacturers in the Czech Republic and Canada also made parts used in the Chinese-made unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs.

An examination of the wreckage¹⁴ of a North Korean Unha-3 rocket launched in 2012 showed the involvement of a Taipei-based company, the Royal Team Corporation (RTC).

The report explained complicated payments used to get around sanctions. The U.N. panel found that North Korea tried to hide its banned dealings with RTC by sending payments through a third company that it paid to host a trade show.

The report reveals North Korean military ties with Uganda, Eritrea and Vietnam. However, the past evasions¹⁶ show the difficulty in placing sanctions on North Korea in many countries, including China, where enforcement has not been strong.

Words in This Story

sponsors – n. a person or group who takes responsibility for something and supports it

conventional – adj. not nuclear

aviation – adj. having to do with aircraft

luxury – adj. expensive, having to do with comfort, ease or wealth

ballistic missile – n. a missile able to travel long distances across the earth

alloy – n. a mixture of metals

centrifuge – n. a machine used to separate substances

optical – adj. having to do with optics and vision, having to do with devices that use lenses or mirrors to produce images

evasion¹⁵ – n. to evade or avoid something

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 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。

3 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

4 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。

5 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

6 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）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

7 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

8 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

9 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

11 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

12 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

13 alloy   

n.合金，(金属的)成色

参考例句：

• The company produces titanium alloy.该公司生产钛合金。
• Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin.青铜是铜和锡的合金。

14 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

15 evasion   

n.逃避，偷漏(税)

参考例句：

• The movie star is in prison for tax evasion.那位影星因为逃税而坐牢。
• The act was passed as a safeguard against tax evasion.这项法案旨在防止逃税行为。

16 evasions   

逃避( evasion的名词复数 )； 回避； 遁辞； 借口

参考例句：

• A little overwhelmed, I began the generalized evasions which that question deserves. 我有点不知所措，就开始说一些含糊其词的话来搪塞。
• His answers to my questions were all evasions. 他对我的问题的回答均为遁词。