South Korean Businesses Again Look to North's Joint Industrial Center

A group of South Korean businesses are interested in visiting an industrial center they once operated jointly 2 with North Korea. The group wants to see the condition of the center in North Korea in preparation for a possible reopening. As diplomatic activity with North Korea is increasing, hope for restarting operations has grown.

一群韩国企业很有兴趣参观他们曾经和朝鲜联合运营的工业园区。该组织希望了解朝鲜这个园区的现状，以便为重新开放做好准备。随着与朝鲜的外交活动不断增加，园区重新开放的希望也不断提升。

Yoo Chan-geun is vice-chairman of the Corporate 3 Association of the Kaeson Industrial Complex.

Yoo Chan-geun是开城工业园区企业协会的副会长。

He said the business owners need to learn if they will be able to make repairs or they will need to buy new factory equipment. The information will help them plan.

他说，企业主需要了解他们是否能够进行维修，或者是否需要购买新的工厂设备。这些信息有助于他们做出规划。

The Kaesong complex is 54 kilometers northwest of Seoul near the border between the two Koreas. More than 54,000 North Koreans worked there when it was operational. The center was closed in 2016 after a North Korean nuclear test.

开城工业园区位于首尔西北54公里处，靠近朝韩边境。当年园区运营时有超过5.4万名朝鲜人在那里工作。该园区于2016年在朝鲜核试验之后关闭。

At the time, the administration of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye had said money from the center was going to North Korea’s banned weapons programs. The administration estimated that 70 percent the $100 million in yearly pay and sales went to the North’s nuclear and missile programs. Workers’ pay went directly to the government in Pyongyang rather than to the workers themselves.

当时由前总统朴槿惠领导的韩国政府表示，来自该园区的资金流向了朝鲜被禁止的武器项目。韩国政府估计，该园区每年1亿美元的薪水和销售额有70%流向了朝鲜的核计划和导弹计划。员工工资直接流向了平壤政府而不是发给员工本人。

The current administration of President Moon Jae-in has continued with the closure order.

现任总统文在寅领导的政府继续执行了封闭令。

Additionally, the United Nations banned joint 1 financial projects with North Korea. Other U.N. sanctions banned the export of many goods that had been produced by some Kaesong companies, including clothing.

此外，联合国还禁止同朝鲜联合开展金融项目。联合国制裁措施还包括禁止开城工业园区企业生产的多种商品出口，其中就有服装。

Owners of Kaesong businesses have not been able to return to the complex since its closure. They have been told reopening the center depends on the lifting of U.N. sanctions.

企业老板们自开城工业园区封闭以来就无法重返该园区。他们被告知重启该园区取决于联合国制裁的解除。

Yoo said, “Our government has consistently stated that it is impossible to reopen the Kaesong Industrial Complex while under the sanctions against North Korea, and we have not heard anything different from it.”

Yoo表示：“我国政府一直宣称，在对朝鲜实施制裁的同时，不可能重新开放开城工业园区，我们没听到过有什么变动。”

The South Korean government has said economic involvement with North Korea would be limited to research and development while sanctions remain in place.

韩国政府表示，在制裁依然存在的情况下，与朝鲜的经济关系将局限于研发。

Railways a possible starting point

改善铁路可能是一个新的开始

Recently, the two Koreas held talks on improving the North’s railroads. The goal would be to link North Korean railroads with the Chinese and Russian railroad systems to support trade throughout Asia and Europe.

最近，朝韩两国就改善朝鲜的铁路举行了会谈。其目标是将朝鲜的铁路同中国和俄罗斯的铁路系统连接起来，以支持贯穿亚欧的贸易。

Moon reportedly presented North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un with a $35 billion railroad plan in April when they met in Panmunjom.

据报道，文在寅在4月份板门店会晤时向朝鲜领导人金正恩提出了一项350亿美元的铁路计划。

American officials say that sanctions will remain in place until North Korea makes enough progress toward denuclearization. Kim Jong Un promised at the meeting with Moon to end his country’s nuclear program. Kim repeated the promise when he met with American President Donald Trump 4 in Singapore on June 12.

美国官员表示，制裁将会继续存在，直到朝鲜在无核化方面取得足够进展。金正恩在会议上向文在寅承诺结束朝鲜的核计划。金正恩6月12日在新加坡同美国总统川普会面时重申了这一承诺。

American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to travel to Pyongyang soon. There he is to work out the details of North Korea’s agreement to end its nuclear weapons program. In exchange, the U.S. is expected to offer security guarantees and economic help while easing sanctions.

预计美国国务卿蓬佩奥将于近期前往平壤。他到平壤将会制定出朝鲜结束其核武器计划的协议细节。作为交换，预计美国将在放宽制裁的同时向朝鲜提供安全保障和经济援助。

I’m Mario Ritter.

Words in This Story

sanction – n. measures taken by countries to force other nations to obey international law, usually by limiting trade or finance

consistently –adv. behaving in the same way