2007年VOA标准英语-North Korea Stays Mum on Nuclear Weapons as Tal

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
30 May 2007

North and South Korea have formally opened high-level talks in Seoul, but delegates from the North are remaining silent so far about Pyongyang's commitment to dismantle¹ its nuclear programs. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from the South Korean capital.

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South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung, left, walks with North Korea's delegation chief Kwon Ho Ung, 30 May 2007

At Wednesday's opening session of minister-level talks between the two Koreas, South Korea told the North the two countries' relationship depends on Pyongyang implementing³ a promise it made in February to begin shutting down its nuclear weapons program.

Koh Kyoung-bin is a spokesman for South Korea's Unification Ministry⁵.

Koh says in Wednesday's opening remarks, South Korean delegates told the North that mutual⁶ trust and cooperation is linked to Pyongyang's implementation⁷ of the February nuclear agreement.

Pyongyang promised during talks in Beijing with South Korea, Russia, China, Japan and the United States that it would shut down its main nuclear production facility within 60 days.

That deadline passed without action more than a month-and-a-half ago, however, with Pyongyang citing a technical banking⁸ issue involving funds frozen in a Macau bank as the reason for its delay.

 

Spokesman Koh says the North Korean delegates made no mention whatsoever⁹ of the nuclear issue in their opening remarks Wednesday.

He says the only verbal references of any kind to the nuclear issue at the Wednesday morning session came from the South Korean side.

North Korea also did not initially¹⁰ bring up a South Korean promise of massive aid in the form of rice and light industrial supplies. South Korean officials have said they would delay shipping¹¹ that aid until Pyongyang starts implementing the February agreement.

Instead, North Korea spoke⁴ favorably about the range of inter-Korean joint¹² projects that have been established since the two countries held their first and only summit in 2000. Koh says the North Korean delegates urged the South to keep inter-Korean relations independent of influence from "outside powers."

He says the North Koreans called on the South to stop antagonizing the North by staging joint military drills with the United States.

The United States stations about 28,000 troops here in South Korea to deter¹³ a repeat of North Korea's 1950 invasion. The three-year war that resulted from that invasion has never come to a formal end: fighting was halted by a "temporary" armistice¹⁴ in 1953.

1 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

2 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

3 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

4 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

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 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。

6 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

7 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

8 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。

9 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

10 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

11 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。

12 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

13 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。

14 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。