VOA慢速英语2019 美韩同盟关系危机四伏

 United States President Donald Trump¹ can sometimes be nicer to his country’s enemies than its friends.

美国总统特朗普有时对敌人比朋友更友好。

Trump’s unusual method of negotiating appears to be displeasing² people in South Korea, especially conservatives. Many now appear willing to criticize the U.S. leader.

特朗普不同寻常的谈判方式似乎让韩国人不快，尤其是保守派。现在，很多人似乎愿意批评这位美国领导人。

In recent weeks, there has been a small but notable backlash to Trump and his comments among South Korean conservatives. They are unhappy about his decision to say nice things about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while pressuring South Korea to spend more on its military.

近几周，特朗普及其言论在韩国保守派中引发了小规模但明显的反对。他们对其决定对朝鲜领导人金正恩说好话而向韩国施压，要求其在军事上投入更多资金感到不满。

Trump’s negotiating style is not new.

特朗普的谈判风格已经屡见不鲜。

The U.S. president has praised Kim as his “friend” for more than a year. At the same time, he is trying to persuade the North Korean leader to give up his country’s nuclear weapons. Yet there are no plans for new talks between the two sides, and North Korea continues to raise tensions with the South.

特朗普赞扬金正恩是他一年多来的“朋友”。同时，他还试图说服朝鲜领导人放弃核武器。不过，目前双方还没有新的会谈计划，朝鲜继续加剧与韩国的紧张关系。

Earlier this month, South Korean human rights activists³ accused Trump of ignoring North Korean human rights abuses. They disputed his praise of Kim’s “great and beautiful vision for his country."

本月早些时候，韩国人权活动人士指责特朗普无视朝鲜侵犯人权的行为。他们驳斥了其关于金正恩“对朝鲜伟大而美好的愿景”的称赞。

Some South Koreans express concern that Trump is giving Kim too much freedom to develop weapons. They criticize him for saying he has “no problem” with North Korea’s recent ballistic missile launches. The missiles can reach anywhere in South Korea.

一些韩国人担心，特朗普给了金正恩太多自由来发展核武器。他们批评特朗普称，他对朝鲜最近的弹道导弹发射活动“没有异议”。这枚导弹可以到达韩国的任何地方。

Others were surprised when Trump again agreed with North Korea's description of U.S.-South Korean military exercises as “ridiculous” and costly⁴.

当特朗普再次同意朝鲜方面称美韩军演“荒谬可笑”且代价高昂时，其他人颇感惊讶。

‘He does not know...his enemy from his friend’

“他......敌友不分。

And then there was a U.S. newspaper report that Trump made fun of South Korea for reportedly agreeing to pay more for protection from the North. The New York Post reported that Trump tried speaking with an Asian accent when he criticized the South.

随后，美国一家报纸报道称，特朗普取笑韩国，称其同意为免受朝鲜袭击承担更多军费。据《纽约邮报》报道，特朗普在批评韩国时模仿亚洲口音。

The Post story angered South Korea’s largest newspaper, the conservative Chosun Ilbo. It published an editorial critical of Trump’s actions. “No other U.S. president has insulted South Koreans like that,” the editorial read.

《纽约邮报》的报道激怒了韩国最大的报纸、保守派媒体《朝鲜日报》。该报发表了一篇批评特朗普行为的社论。社论写道：“没有哪位美国总统像（特朗普）这样侮辱韩国人。”

Cho Kyoung-tae is a member of the South’s main opposition⁵ Liberty Korea Party. He told a radio station Trump’s comments raise questions about whether the United States is a trustworthy, friendly country.

赵庆泰（Cho Kyoung-tae）是韩国主要反对党自由韩国党成员。他对一家电台表示，特朗普的言论导致人们质疑美国是否是一个值得信赖的友好国家。

“He does not know…his enemy from his friend,” he said. The Yonhap news agency reported Cho’s comments.

“他分不清敌友，”他说。韩联社报道了赵庆泰的评论。

Ha Tae-keung, of the opposition Bareunmirae Party, called Trump “totally thoughtless.” He added that Trump’s words threaten the U.S.-South Korea alliance, Yonhap reported.

反对派“正未来党”(Bareunmirae Party)的河泰姜(Ha Tae-keung)称，特朗普“完全考虑不周”。他补充说，韩联社报道称特朗普的言论威胁到了美韩联盟。

South Korean conservatives usually support a strong policy against North Korea. They have long been worried about Trump’s talks with the North because they believe Kim is unlikely to give up his nuclear weapons, notes Park Won-gon.

韩国保守派通常支持对朝鲜采取强硬的政策。朴远建（Park Won-gon）指出，他们一直担心特朗普与朝鲜的会谈，因为他们认为金正恩不太可能放弃核武器。

“Trump keeps saying (good) things about Kim, which makes conservative groups angrier,” he added.

“特朗普一直在说金正恩的好话，这让保守派团体更加愤怒，”他补充说。

Park is a professor at South Korea’s Handong Global University.

朴远建是韩国韩东国际大学的教授。

Small but noteworthy backlash

轻微但明显的反击

For now, the anti-Trump backlash is small. But it also is important because criticism of the United States is rare in South Korea.

就目前而言，反对特朗普的势头微弱。但这一点也很重要，因为批评美国的现象在韩国很少见。

In 2018, a Pew Research study found that 80 percent of South Koreans have a favorable opinion of the United States. That same survey suggested that just 44 percent of South Koreans trust Trump.

2018年，皮尤研究中心的一项研究发现，80%的韩国人对美国持有好感。同样的调查也显示，只有44%的韩国人信任特朗普。

South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, says the U.S. leader should receive a Nobel Peace Prize for his talks with Kim.

韩国总统文在寅称，特朗普应该凭借与金正恩的会谈获得诺贝尔和平奖。

“You really are the peacemaker of the Korean Peninsula,” Moon told Trump in June, just before the third meeting between Trump and Kim.

“您堪称是朝鲜半岛的和平缔造者，”文在寅在今年6月特朗普与金正恩举行第三次会晤之前对特朗普说道。

Many South Korean conservatives also still publicly praise Trump. They note he has kept strong international sanctions on North Korea while talking to Kim.

许多韩国保守派人士仍然公开称赞特朗普。他们指出，特朗普在与金正恩会谈期间一直对朝鲜实施严厉的国际制裁。

Alliance strong but strained

关系牢固却紧张

The U.S.-South Korea alliance remains⁶ strong, for now. But some experts say relations could worsen as long as Trump is president.

目前，美国和韩国的同盟关系仍然很牢固。但一些专家表示，只要特朗普在任，两国关系就有可能恶化。

Trump has only increased his criticism of South Korea. He says the South and other allies do not pay enough to cover the cost of the U.S. troops that live in their countries.

特朗普只是加大了对韩国的批评。他说，韩国和其他盟国没有支付足够的费用来承担驻韩美军的费用。

At a May event in Florida, Trump said one country was "rich as hell and probably doesn't like us too much." Some South Korean observers thought his comments were directed at their country.

今年5月，特朗普在佛罗里达州的一次活动中表示，有这么一个国家“它非常富有，可能不太喜欢我们。”一些韩国观察人士认为，他的言论是针对韩国。

Earlier this month, Trump wrote that South Korea agreed to pay “more money” for the cost of the U.S. military presence. His comments appeared on Twitter. The South Korean government answered his tweet, saying negotiations⁷ about costs had yet to begin.

本月早些时候，特朗普写道，韩国同意为美国的驻军支付“更多的费用”。他在推特上发表了这一评论。韩国政府回应他的推特称，关于费用的谈判尚未开始。

South Korean officials have also expressed worry about Trump’s incorrect statements about the U.S.-South Korea alliance.

目前，美国和韩国的同盟关系仍然很牢固。但一些专家表示，只要特朗普在任，两国关系就有可能恶化。

特朗普只是加大了对韩国的批评。他说，韩国和其他盟国没有支付足够的费用来承担驻韩美军的费用。

今年5月，特朗普在佛罗里达州的一次活动中表示，有这么一个国家“它非常富有，可能不太喜欢我们。”一些韩国观察人士认为，他的言论是针对韩国。

本月早些时候，特朗普写道，韩国同意为美国的驻军支付“更多的费用”。他在推特上发表了这一评论。韩国政府回应他的推特称，关于费用的谈判尚未开始。

韩国官员也对特朗普关于美韩同盟的错误言论表示担忧。

In February, Trump said there are 40,000 U.S. troops in South Korea. Earlier this month, the president put the number at 32,000. In reality, there about 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea. That number comes from the U.S. Department of Defense⁸.

今年2月，特朗普表示，目前有4万名美军驻扎在韩国。本月早些时候，特朗普改口称驻军人数为3.2万。事实上，在韩国驻扎着大约28500名美军。这一数字来自美国国防部。

This month, Trump said the United States gets “nothing” from South Korea, although the U.S. government has been helping⁹ the South “for about 82 years.” It is not clear where he got that number. The Korean War started in 1950, with the fighting continuing until 1953.

本月，特朗普表示，从韩国身上“一无所获”，尽管美国政府“大约82年来”一直在帮助韩国。尚不清楚他从哪里得获得这一数字。朝鲜战争始于1950年，一直持续到1953年。

Words in this Story

backlash – n. a strong public reaction against something

vision – n. the ability to see beyond

ballistic missile – n. weapons that can travel a great distance through the air, and then fall to the ground and explode

ridiculous – adj. extremely silly or unreasonable¹⁰

alarm - n. something that causes people to wrongly believe that something bad or dangerous is going to happen

accent – n. a way of speaking commonly found among a group of people

editorial – n. a story that gives the opinions of the publishers of a newspaper

favorable – adj. expressing approval or support

sanctions – n. an action that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country

hell – n. a term of abuse; a place where the dead exist; an extremely unpleasant situation

 

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 displeasing   

不愉快的，令人发火的

参考例句：

• Such conduct is displeasing to your parents. 这种行为会使你的父母生气的。
• Omit no harsh line, smooth away no displeasing irregularity. 不能省略任何刺眼的纹路，不能掩饰任何讨厌的丑处。

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

8 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。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 unreasonable   

adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的

参考例句：

• I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
• They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。