VOA标准英语2010年-North Korean Defectors Not Surprised b

Many North Korean defectors living in South Korea said they are not surprised that a son of leader Kim Jong Il has been appointed to prominent party posts, a move thought to signal the start of a leadership succession. They also said they think ordinary North Korean citizens do not care very much about who will lead their country.

Lee Sae Yul is a 13-year veteran of North Korea's army who defected to South Korea in 2008. Lee uses cell phones smuggled¹ from China to keep in contact with family and friends back in North Korea. He said most of the people he speaks with did not even know Kim Jong Un's name before this week, but they already knew about him from a song.

Lee said there is a propaganda song about Kim Jung Un called "Footsteps," which has been widely spread around to the public. But his name was not mentioned, he was just called the 'Young General.'

On Tuesday, North Korean state media announced that Kim Jung Un, who is thought to be about 27-years-old, had been made a four-star general. Several hours later, a meeting of the North's ruling Workers' Party appointed the son of the nation's leader, Kim Jong Il, to prominent party posts.

North Korea experts said the younger Kim's promotions² are intended to establish him as a successor to his 68-year-old father.

Lee said it is no surprise to him and other members of the North Korea Liberation Front, a Seoul organization of ex-soldiers, that Kim Jong Un is now a general. Lee doubts that Kim - nor his aunt Kim Kyong Hui, who also was made a general - have any military experience.

Regardless, the North Korea Liberation Front's director, Kim Myoung Ha, said that based on Pyongyang's military first policy, any future leader must have military credentials³, real or not.

Kim said if anyone wants a job in North Korea they must have two things, an education and military experience. The whole nation is based on the military. Kim said there is almost no way for North Korean soldiers to learn that their new general is a fraud. But Kim said he does not think that most North Koreans are concerned with who their next ruler will be.

Park Gun Ha agrees. He was once a member of the Workers Party and now belongs to a defector organization involving former government officials. Park said North Koreans lost hope when Kim Jong Il took over and the economy went bad. He said they do not really care about who the successor is, they are much more concerned with how they will survive.

Park said if the government can not improve conditions in the impoverished⁴ country, it is unlikely North Koreans will give their support to Kim Jong Un when he does eventually take over.
 

1 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

2 promotions   

促进( promotion的名词复数 )； 提升； 推广； 宣传

参考例句：

• All services or promotions must have an appeal and wide application. 所有服务或促销工作都必须具有吸引力和广泛的适用性。
• He promptly directed the highest promotions and decorations for General MacArthur. 他授予麦克阿瑟将军以最高的官阶和勋奖。

3 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

4 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》