VOA标准英语2014--朝鲜滥用军衔

 

S. Korea Confronts Abuse in Military Ranks 朝鲜滥用军衔

SEOUL— 

It is the moment that Kwak Byoung-ho knew would eventually come.

The 21-year-old conscript says good-bye to his mother and grandmother just ahead of his induction¹ into South Korea’s armed forces.

“It is exciting, but I am also a little nervous about starting,” says Kwak, speaking in the presence of military personnel.

South Korea maintains a 600-thousand-strong military, made up mostly of young recruits like Kwak, a legacy² of the country’s unfinished war with North Korea. Every able-bodied South Korean male between 18 and 35 must serve for 21 to 36 months in the country’s armed forces — depending upon the specific branch — a period longer than most countries require. 

For many, service is a rite³ of passage to manhood. But there are growing concerns that bullying⁴ and violence comes along with that tradition.

According to reports by BBC, in July of 2011, "a marine⁵ corporal shot and killed four of his comrades," later saying that he had been bullied⁶.

But recent reports say complaints of abuse in South Korea’s armed forces are on the rise.

This summer has seen at least 4 conscript suicides that may have been tied to hazing⁷. In June, a sergeant⁸ went on a deadly shooting spree, reportedly as revenge for repeated bullying, killing⁹ five men in his unit before attempting to kill himself. In July, the death of a conscript named Yoon Seung-joo was blamed on beatings dealt out by his fellow soldiers. 

Six men now stand trial inside this military courthouse for causing that soldier’s death, and a verdict is expected soon.

Prosecutors¹⁰ say the victim never spoke¹¹ up about what he was going through.

Yoon’s mother, Ahn Mi-ja, wishes he had not stayed silent.

“I did not know what was going on, so when the military told me that my son had died, I did not believe it," she said. "It was not until I saw the bruises¹² on his body that I found out what had really happened.”

Lim Tae-hoon, whose Military Human Rights Center exposed the alleged¹³ violence behind Yoon’s death, says South Korea’s military needs reform in order to stop systemic abuses.

“Harsher punishments for violent soldiers need to be handed down," he said via translator. "That will prevent more violence from happening.”

South Korea’s Ministry¹⁴ of National Defense¹⁵ declined an interview request, but officials have publicly stated that this kind of violence within military barracks will not be tolerated. They also say they've encouraged abused soldiers to speak out.

After saying good-bye to her newly conscripted grandson, Ji Chae-soon admits that the reports of violent bullying have been on her mind.

“I have worried a lot about that, but I hear the situation is improving for soldiers, so now my mind is a little more at ease,” she says.

Before marching off to begin his training, her grandson said not to worry — that if he does get bullied he will not stay silent about it.

1 induction   

n.感应，感应现象

参考例句：

• His induction as a teacher was a turning point in his life.他就任教师工作是他一生的转折点。
• The magnetic signals are sensed by induction coils.磁信号由感应线圈所检测。

2 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

3 rite   

n.典礼，惯例，习俗

参考例句：

• This festival descends from a religious rite.这个节日起源于宗教仪式。
• Most traditional societies have transition rites at puberty.大多数传统社会都为青春期的孩子举行成人礼。

4 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

6 bullied   

adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My son is being bullied at school. 我儿子在学校里受欺负。
• The boy bullied the small girl into giving him all her money. 那男孩威逼那个小女孩把所有的钱都给他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 hazing   

n.受辱，被欺侮v.（使）笼罩在薄雾中( haze的现在分词 )；戏弄，欺凌（新生等，有时作为加入美国大学生联谊会的条件）

参考例句：

• With labor, the hazing period ends. 费了好大力气，痛苦的时期终于过了。 来自互联网
• A high-gloss paint surface is one that directly reflects light with minimum hazing or diffusion. 高度光洁的漆表面可以直接反射光源。 来自互联网

8 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

9 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

10 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

11 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。

12 bruises   

n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was covered with bruises after falling off his bicycle. 他从自行车上摔了下来，摔得浑身伤痕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pear had bruises of dark spots. 这个梨子有碰伤的黑斑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

14 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。

15 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。