VOA标准英语2009年-Envoys from Two Koreas Meet to Discuss Fam

Delegations² from South and North Korea are meeting to discuss the resumption of family reunions. Thousands of families remain separated by the political division of the Korean peninsula.
　
Kim Young-chol, chief delegate and secretary-general of S. Korean Red Cross office (c) and other delegates wave before leaving for Diamond Mountain in N. Korea, 26 Aug 2009

South Korea dispatched a delegation¹ Wednesday morning to the Mount Kumgang resort in North Korea. There they will meet with representatives from Pyongyang to discuss the resumption of family reunions, overseen³ by the Korean Red Cross.

Kim Young-chol, the head of Seoul's representatives, says Kim says his team will try to ensure that during the next round of reunions as many elderly South Koreans as possible will have the opportunity to meet with their separated relatives.

Earlier this month, North Korea proposed resuming the reunions.

The last time families from the divided Koreas met was in 2007. The communist North called off reunions in response to what it considers South Korean President Lee Myung Bak's hard-line policy. Mr. Lee has pushed North Korea to fulfill⁴ its pledges to end its nuclear program and had scaled back aid to the impoverished⁵ country.

But in recent weeks, the Kim Jong Il government in the North has offered a series of good will gestures to both South Korea and the United States. Last Friday, it sent representatives to honor former South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung, who died a few days earlier.

Since 2000, the Korean Red Cross has conducted 16 face-to-face family reunions and several via video conference. They estimate that 600,000 South Koreans have relatives in North Korea. Most are elderly and these reunions may be the only chance for many to see long-lost relatives.

Since fighting in the Korean War halted in 1953, there have been no telephone or postal⁶ links between separated families. The two nations remain technically⁷ at war, since only an armistice⁸ was signed at the end of the conflict.

The delegates will meet until the end of this week. Tentatively, the two countries hope to hold a reunion in the beginning of October, when Koreans celebrate the thanksgiving holiday of Chuseok.

1 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

2 delegations   

n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派

参考例句：

• In the past 15 years, China has sent 280 women delegations abroad. 十五年来，中国共派280批妇女代表团出访。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• The Sun Ray decision follows the federal pattern of tolerating broad delegations but insisting on safeguards. “阳光”案的判决仿效联邦容许广泛授权的做法，但又坚持保护措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

3 overseen   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was overseen stealing the letters. 他被人撞见在偷信件。 来自辞典例句
• It will be overseen by ThomasLi, director of IBM China Research Laboratory. 该实验室由IBM中国研究院院长李实恭(ThomasLi)引导。 来自互联网

4 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

5 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》

6 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

7 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。

8 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。