VOA常速英语2007-South Korea's Roh Makes Historic Border Crossing

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
01 October 2007
 

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun Tuesday made a historic walk across the heavily-fortified¹ border with North Korea to attend a summit with Kim Jong Il. As VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul, few details are known about the North Korean leader's welcoming plans.

South Korean officials say President Roh Moo-hyun's historic overland trip into North Korea Tuesday will not be on four tires - but on two feet.

Mr. Roh is expected to step out of his car at the military demarcation line separating North and South Korea.  After some short remarks, he plans to cross into the North on foot.  The vehicle convoy² will then resume its route to the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.

Fifty seven years after North Korea invaded the South, the two countries remain technically³ at war.  A 1953 armistice⁴ stopped three years of fighting.  It is the basis for a tense détente along the heavily fortified, 248-kilometer, North-South border.

President Roh says reaching a more permanent peace is the main reason he is going to Pyongyang.

He says if the summit discussions are serious, he is willing to talk about improving military relations, a peace treaty, and even disarmament.

Mr. Roh has already said the North's nuclear weapons will receive little attention at the meeting.  He says multinational⁵ talks in Beijing are adequately addressing that issue.  Delegates to those talks are expected to reveal a draft agreement this week for dismantling⁶ the North's weapons programs by the end of the year.

Mr. Roh is not scheduled to meet Kim Jong Il on the first day of his trip.  He is to attend a welcoming luncheon⁷ with Kim Yong Nam, who presides over the North's parliament.  But, South Korean Vice⁸ Unification Minister Lee Kwan-sei points out the North's leader has a history of departing from the schedule.

He says during the 2000 summit, nothing in the formal agenda indicated Kim Jong Il would personally greet then-President Kim Dae-jung at his airport arrival.  He does not rule out the possibility Mr. Roh may receive some form of unscheduled welcome by the North's leader.

President Roh is expected to join Kim Jong Il at the North's Arirang festival.  The show's thousands of performers have historically put on a massive propaganda spectacle.  However, South Korean officials say, this time, Pyongyang is deleting references to military might and nuclear weapons.

President Roh has been under robust⁹ criticism here in South Korea, where experts point to the fact that his presidency¹⁰ will end in about two months.  North Korea expert Nam Sung-wook is an advisor¹¹ to former Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak, the opposition¹² candidate who is the overwhelming frontrunner to succeed Mr. Roh.  Nam says North Korea is eager to prevent a victory by Lee, who some expect might pursue a less accommodating policy toward the North.

Nam says North Korea has rejected countless¹³ offers of a summit, but has decided¹⁴ to accept now just months before a presidential election.  He dismisses the summit as a performance aimed at influencing South Korean politics.  

President Roh and his political allies have supported a minimally¹⁵ critical and generous policy of engagement with the North, which has resulted in the transfer of billions of dollars in aid and investment to Pyongyang.

1 fortified   

adj. 加强的

参考例句：

• He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
• The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。

2 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

3 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

4 armistice   

n.休战，停战协定

参考例句：

• The two nations signed an armistice.两国签署了停火协议。
• The Italian armistice is nothing but a clumsy trap.意大利的停战不过是一个笨拙的陷阱。

5 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。

6 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

7 luncheon   

n.午宴，午餐，便宴

参考例句：

• We have luncheon at twelve o'clock.我们十二点钟用午餐。
• I have a luncheon engagement.我午饭有约。

8 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

9 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

10 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

11 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

12 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。

13 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

14 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

15 minimally   

最低限度地，最低程度地

参考例句：

• Food spoilage problems occur with minimally processed, concentrated frozen citrus products. 食品的变质也发生在轻微加工的、浓缩冷冻的柑橘制品中。
• So, minimally, they are responsible for such actions and omissions. 所以，至少来说，他们要对这样的行为和忽略负责。