The fierce reaction from world leaders to North Korea’s nuclear test

 

This is AS IT IS, from VOA Learning English. 

Hello, I’m Christopher Cruise.

Today on the program, Kelly Jean Kelly looks at the fierce reaction from world leaders to North Korea’s nuclear test on Tuesday. She reports that even China -- the North’s main ally -- has condemned¹ the test.  

Then, June Simms tells us what some former State Department and CIA officials say the test reveals about North Korea’s technological² progress. 

And, we talk with Graham Allison, a Harvard University professor who has written about nuclear terrorism. He says the test may mean that North Korea has the ability to sell a nuclear weapon to terrorists. 

World leaders are condemning³ the latest nuclear test by North Korea. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called it a “clear and grave violation” of U-N sanctions. Those measures bar North Korean nuclear and missile tests. 

Kelly Jean Kelly has more on reaction to the latest test:

The Defense⁴ Minister of Japan, Itsunori Onodera, spoke⁵ to VOA. He said the test represents a major international threat. 

“North Korea has announced their nuclear test succeeded. I think this means a big threat, not only to Japan, but also to the East Asia region, as a whole. North Korea has also managed to develop an improved version of the “Taepodong 2,” a long-range ballistic missile, last December. Therefore this nuclear threat is not only a concern for Japan, but also the world.”

Soon after the test, the next president of South Korea, Park Geun-hye, met with current President Lee Myung-bak. The president-elect said the test does nothing to help the North’s position in the world.

“I think it only made North Korea turn international society into North Korea’s enemy and made itself isolated⁶.” 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also condemned the test. 

“We firmly count that today’s action by Pyongyang, which deserves condemnation⁷, will not be used as a pretext⁸ for an increasing of military activity in the area of the Korean peninsula.”

British Foreign Minister William Hague described what he wants other countries to do about the test.

“There is additional pressure that can be placed on North Korea, additional sanctions that can be put in place that of course have the most effect if they have the strong support of China, a key, of course a key nation in this regard and a permanent member of the Security Council. China agreed that there would be significant action if this happened. So, we will now look to them to discuss that with them.”

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization said the test, combined with North Korea’s missile launch in December, threatens international peace and security.  

After the test, China’s foreign ministry⁹ urged North Korea to honor its promise to work against the spread of nuclear weapons. The foreign ministry also said the issue should be settled as part of six-nation talks on the North’s nuclear activities. 

I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

Early reports say the latest nuclear test by North Korea was its most powerful yet. June Simms tells us what some former American officials are saying about the test:

Former State Department official Mitchell Reiss says the test shows that North Korea is seeking to possess both ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.        

“It’s alarming enough they’re doing each of those separately, but it’s the combination of the two that poses significant risks to the United States and our friends and allies.”

Bruce Klingner studied North Korea for years with the Central Intelligence Agency. He says the test leaves him wondering how China, with its strong economic ties to North Korea, will react.

“It clearly shows how little influence Beijing has, or how little influence it’s willing to use. Indeed, their increased economic engagement with North Korea really undermines any incentive¹⁰ for North Korea to go back to the Six Party Talks.”

Mitchell Reiss warned that Iran is watching how the world will react. 

“If the United States undertakes no sanctions, does not punish North Korea in any way, it will effectively be giving Iran a green light.”

None of the world’s major powers claim to want nuclear weapons in North Korea or Iran. But it is not clear whether they can prevent that from happening. 

I’m June Simms.

Graham Allison is very worried about the nuclear test. Mr. Allison is the director of the Center for Science and International Affairs at the Kennedy School at Harvard University. He is the author of “Nuclear Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe¹¹.”  

On Tuesday, in The New York Times newspaper, he said “the most dangerous message North Korea sent with its third nuclear test is that nukes are for sale.” 

He spoke to the VOA’s Ira Mellman.

“This third test is most likely fueled by highly-enriched uranium, and the implication of that is that North Korea now has a undiscovered, operational uranium enrichment facility at which it’s producing materials (with) which it can make bombs.”      

Mr. Allison says the news that North Korea can now enrich uranium on its own means the world is a much more dangerous place now.

“The fact that they now have not, not a fixed¹² amount of material but that they’re producing new material means that, God forbid, we’re gonna wake up here shortly and find that in, that what, what is a country in which everything is for sale includes nuclear weapons, usable material or even a weapon itself.”      

Mr. Allison says the West should make it clear to North Korea -- perhaps through its main ally China -- that selling nuclear weapons to terrorists could result in an American nuclear attack on the North.          

“…if they sell a bomb, or the material from which a bomb can be made, to a terrorist group like the remnants of al-Qaeda, or to some other state -- let’s imagine Iran -- and if that bomb were to explode on the territory of the U.S. or one of our allies, we will treat it just as if they had put a nuclear bomb on the top of a missile and, you know, hit an, hit an American city. That would, in fact I believe, for any American president, trigger a retaliation¹³ that would be chilling in the extreme.” 

And that is today’s edition of “As It Is,” our new show in VOA Special English. 

1 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

2 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

3 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 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。

5 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。

6 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

7 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

8 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。

9 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。

10 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

11 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

12 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

13 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》