VOA标准英语2009年-Corporate Diplomacy Opens Door for Renewal

The visit of a South Korean chief executive to North Korea has produced first steps in thawing¹ frozen inter-Korean economic projects. However, South Korea says what Pyongyang agreed to, in principle, needs to be translated into official accords, on a government-to-government level.

Hyun Jeong-eun, chairwoman of South Korea's Hyundai Asan Corporation, crossed back into South Korea Monday, after a week-long visit to the North Korean capital and a long-delayed face-to-face meeting with the North's leader Kim Jong Il.

She says she met with Kim Jong Il for lunch for four hours on Sunday, in what she describes as a "pleasant" atmosphere.

Hours before Hyun's return to the South, her company issued a news release saying Kim Jong Il had authorized² the renewal³ of a number of North-South joint⁴ ventures.

The North says it ready to loosen border-crossing restrictions⁵ to a special North-South joint factory zone in Kaesong and to resume operations of a tourism resort at the North's Mount Kumgang. South Korea suspended the latter, last year, after North Korean soldiers shot to death a South Korean housewife visiting the resort, then refused to cooperate in an investigation⁶.

Hyun says Kim Jong Il told her that such an accident "would not happen again" at Kumgang.

Hyun went to North Korea, last Monday, and extended her stay five times before attending Sunday's meeting with the North Korean leader. The trip produced initial progress, last Thursday, when the North released Hyundai Asan executive Yu Seong-jin, after more than four months of custody⁷.

Her visit has drawn⁸ comparisons to the previous week's diplomatic trip by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who swept into Pyongyang, met with Kim Jong Il and departed with two detained U.S. journalists the following morning. North Korea scholars say both visits, though unofficial in nature, provide a possible cue for improved relations between the North and South, and between North Korea and the United States.

South Korea is cautiously welcoming Hyun's efforts, but says more needs to happen to translate the agreements she made into reality.

South Korean Unification Ministry⁹ Spokesman Chun Hae-sung says these agreements were made on the level of the private sector¹⁰ and that the two sides will need working-level government talks, as soon as possible, to formalize them.

As for the Mount Kumgang resort, Chun says South Korea will need more from the North Korea than promises.

He says, for the safety of all South Koreans visiting the resort, South Korea will need to "learn the truth" of last year's shooting, before tourism operations can resume. He says formal measures preventing future incidents will also need to be put in place.

South Korea says it wants to act quickly on one Kumgang-related aspect of this week's agreement: The North has agreed to resume reunions there between family members separated by the 1950's war between the Koreas. Pyongyang has offer to resume those in time for a Korean holiday, in early October.

1 thawing   

n.熔化，融化v.（气候）解冻( thaw的现在分词 )；（态度、感情等）缓和；（冰、雪及冷冻食物）溶化；软化

参考例句：

• The ice is thawing. 冰在融化。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• It had been snowing and thawing and the streets were sloppy. 天一直在下雪，雪又一直在融化，街上泥泞不堪。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

2 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

3 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

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 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

6 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

7 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

8 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

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 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。