VOA标准英语10月-North Korea Warns South Over Leaflets From Privat

North Korea has warned South Korean military leaders it may suspend a key inter-Korean industrial project if South Korean civic¹ groups do not stop launching leaflets into the North's territory. VOA Seoul Correspondent Kurt Achin reports.

South Korea's Defense² Ministry³ says North Korea threatened Monday to suspend a joint⁴ North-South industrial park in the North Korean city of Kaesong.

The two Koreas, which have never formally concluded their 1950s war, held military talks Monday at the border village of Panmunjeom. The South's delegate to the meeting, Colonel Lee Sang-Cheol, says North Korea is displeased⁵ with some unwelcome arrivals in its territory.

He says the North Koreans pointed⁶ out the spread of South Korean leaflets is on the rise and that Pyongyang demands the South take immediate⁷ measures to halt their distribution.

It is this kind of operation that has so angered North Korea. Even as Monday's military talks were taking place, human rights activists⁹ headed out to sea with bundles of leaflets they planned on launching into the North.

The leaflets are sharply critical of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. They are printed on thin plastic material resembling garbage bags, to make them as light as possible. Activists bundle them to giant helium balloons and cast them toward North Korea from South Korean waters.

Monday's operation was at least the second major leaflet launch this month. It was sponsored by a human rights advocacy group made up mainly of North Korean defectors to the South, and a South Korean group pushing for the return of fellow citizens believed to have been abducted¹⁰ to the North.

South Korea believes the North has kidnapped nearly 500 South Koreans over the past half century. North Korea denies any kidnappings of South Koreans.

Choi Sung-Young heads the abductee group. He says North Korea refuses to confirm whether the abuductees are alive, so this is all the group can do. He adds that he wants North-South dialogue to continue, but also wants the North to address abductee and human rights issues.

South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak's administration came into office early this year vowing¹¹ to give both issues high priority. South Korea's Unification Ministry has pleaded with the activist⁸ groups to stop the launches, but Seoul has done nothing to physically¹² intervene.

In addition to the leaflets, the activists dropped plastic bottles filled with rice and small amounts of U.S. and Chinese currency into the water. They say they hope the ocean currents will carry the bottles to their impoverished¹³ fellow Koreans in the North.

1 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

2 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。

3 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。

4 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

5 displeased   

a.不快的

参考例句：

• The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。
• He was displeased about the whole affair. 他对整个事情感到很不高兴。

6 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

7 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

8 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

9 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》

10 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。

11 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

12 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

13 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》