VOA常速英语2008年-South Korean President Pledges Improved US Rela

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
25 February 2008

New South Korean President Lee Myung-bak got straight to diplomacy¹ on his first afternoon in office. As VOA Seoul Correspondent Kurt Achin reports, he promised the visiting U.S. Secretary of State he would improve on the outgoing administration's ties with the United States.

New South Korean President Lee Myung-bak was making diplomatic inroads within hours of Monday's inauguration² ceremony.

In a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Mr. Lee's spokesman, Lee Dong-kwan, says the president looked for a new start.

He says Mr. Lee told Rice the U.S. - South Korea relationship had been lacking something over the past five years, and had even become "awkward." Mr. Lee then said things would improve under his administration, and that closer ties between the two countries would also help ties between the two Koreas.

Washington has been a close ally of South Korea's since the end of the Second World War, and stations about 28,000 troops here to deter³ a repeat of North Korea's 1950 invasion. The two are close partners in multinational⁴ efforts to end North Korea's nuclear-weapons programs.

But most experts agree the alliance was strained during the administration of Mr. Lee's predecessor⁵, Roh Moo-hyun, mainly over differences in perception of North Korea. Mr. Lee has vowed⁶ to revamp what South Koreans view as Mr. Roh's overly generous and uncritical policy of economic aid to Pyongyang.

Secretary Rice praised Mr. Lee's inaugural-speech pledge to fortify⁷ the South Korea-U.S. alliance, and said the relationship between the two countries will remain strong.

"It is a relationship that has only deepened over the years because we share something very important - as much as we share strategic interests, we also share common values," she said.

Mr. Lee also met with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who said afterwards the two countries had agreed to resume frequent high-level contacts and to communicate in a "frank and comfortable" manner.

Japan subjected the Korean peninsula to harsh colonial rule during the first half of the 20th century, and South Korea has often accused Japan of whitewashing⁸ its imperial past. Mr. Lee's predecessor, Roh Moo-hyun, halted certain diplomatic contacts with Tokyo in a dispute over visits by Japanese politicians to a controversial war shrine⁹ which honors convicted war criminals alongside other Japanese war dead.

1 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

2 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

3 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。

4 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

5 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

6 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

7 fortify   

v.强化防御，为…设防；加强，强化

参考例句：

• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。
• This treaty forbade the United States to fortify the canal.此条约禁止美国对运河设防。

8 whitewashing   

粉饰，美化，掩饰( whitewash的现在分词 )； 喷浆

参考例句：

• Tom went on whitewashing the fence, paying no attention to Ben. 汤姆没有理睬本，继续在粉刷着篱笆。
• When whitewashing the wall, he painted with a roller in his hand. 刷墙的时候，他手里拿个辊子，挥舞着胳膊。

9 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。