美国国家公共电台 NPR--Facing some common threats, Japan and South Korea leaders meet to address them

Facing some common threats, Japan and South Korea leaders meet to address them

Transcript¹

The summit is the first bilateral² meeting between the two leaders in 12 years. It heralds³ a potential thaw⁴ in ties, which is a boon⁵ for the U.S. government.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

All right, suppose you have two friends, close friends, people you rely on, but they really don't get along with each other. That is the awkward reality for the United States in East Asia. Its troops help to defend both Japan and South Korea. The U.S. also depends on both to confront threats, including China and North Korea, which launched another missile just today. So it's a big deal that Japan and South Korea have strained relations and also a big deal that the leaders of the two countries have now met and agreed to begin regular visits again. They even resolved a trade dispute. NPR's Anthony Kuhn lives in Seoul, has traveled many times to Tokyo, so he's the person to tell us about this. Hey there, Anthony.

ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE⁶: Hey, Steve.

INSKEEP: What makes this relationship hard?

KUHN: Well, they have a long history of conflicts and disputes, but they also have a long history of shared cultural roots. There are a lot of people who want to put the past behind them and move ahead, particularly the young people of both countries. They are into each other's music - the K-pop, the J-pop, the cartoons, the movies, the food. And to them, nothing is more natural than shelving the disputes and looking towards the future.

INSKEEP: But there is this history. So what is the problem?

KUHN: Yeah, well, the history is in particular Japan's colonial occupation of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. And because they've been unable to resolve these issues, this has spilled over into trade disputes and security disputes. And when the allies can't cooperate, that makes it very difficult for Washington.

INSKEEP: There's a lawsuit⁷ that has specifically caused even more strained relations in recent years?

KUHN: That's right. South Korea's Supreme⁸ Court ruled in 2018 that Japanese companies that used forced laborers⁹ have to compensate¹⁰ them. The companies wouldn't do it. And so South Korea sort of unilaterally proposed this deal to compensate the laborers through a Korean foundation. The problem is that the three surviving laborers themselves want to be compensated¹¹ by Japan, not by South Korea. And they want Japan to apologize, but Japan will only restate its past apologies. And Japan's Prime Minister Kishida did not budge¹² on that issue.

INSKEEP: Just to underline this - so relations are strained between two important U.S. allies because of three individuals. That's how many are still alive from this period.

KUHN: Yes, but there are also family members who are plaintiffs in these cases for compensation.

INSKEEP: OK, so in spite of this strain, the two prime ministers met today. And what did they resolve?

KUHN: Well, the steps were pretty much as expected. They're going to resume reciprocal visits by the leaders, which have been on hold for 12 years until today. They're going to resume security dialogues, normalize intelligence sharing and move to clear up these trade disputes. And they emphasized that they've got to cooperate in dealing¹³ with security threats, such as the North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile test this morning.

INSKEEP: So what does it mean for the United States that the two sides are still meeting, even if they have not fully¹⁴ resolved their disputes from the past?

KUHN: Well, the Biden administration is going to be happy about this. It claims that Asia policy is a priority, and working through its allies is the way it wants to do it. And so for decades, it's been nudging these allies to set aside their disputes and focus on security issues. Now, next month, President Yoon of South Korea will head to Washington for a state visit with President Biden, and if he can show Biden that he delivered something that Washington has wanted for a long time, that could put him in a good position and earn him some political capital in Washington.

INSKEEP: NPR's Anthony Kuhn is in Seoul, South Korea. Thanks so much.

KUHN: Thank you, Steve.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

3 heralds   

n.使者( herald的名词复数 )；预报者；预兆；传令官v.预示( herald的第三人称单数 )；宣布（好或重要）

参考例句：

• The song of birds heralds the approach of spring. 百鸟齐鸣报春到。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The wind sweeping through the tower heralds a rising storm in the mountain. 山雨欲来风满楼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 thaw   

v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和

参考例句：

• The snow is beginning to thaw.雪已开始融化。
• The spring thaw caused heavy flooding.春天解冻引起了洪水泛滥。

5 boon   

n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠

参考例句：

• A car is a real boon when you live in the country.在郊外居住，有辆汽车确实极为方便。
• These machines have proved a real boon to disabled people.事实证明这些机器让残疾人受益匪浅。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

8 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

9 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

10 compensate   

vt.补偿，赔偿；酬报 vi.弥补；补偿；抵消

参考例句：

• She used her good looks to compensate her lack of intelligence. 她利用她漂亮的外表来弥补智力的不足。
• Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health. 一个人失去了键康是不可弥补的。

11 compensated   

补偿，报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款）

参考例句：

• The marvelous acting compensated for the play's weak script. 本剧的精彩表演弥补了剧本的不足。
• I compensated his loss with money. 我赔偿他经济损失。

12 budge   

v.移动一点儿；改变立场

参考例句：

• We tried to lift the rock but it wouldn't budge.我们试图把大石头抬起来，但它连动都没动一下。
• She wouldn't budge on the issue.她在这个问题上不肯让步。

13 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

14 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。