 |
Seoul has 2)reiterated its decision not to send lethal weapons to Kyiv following the 3)leak of 4)Pentagon documents 5)reportedly showing top South Korean officials 6)deliberating whether to sell 7)artillery shells to the U.S. because of worries that the 8)ammunition could end up in Ukraine.
“The government’s policy of not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine remains unchanged,” a spokesperson for the South Korean Defense Ministry told VOA’s Korean Service on Wednesday. “The Republic of Korea and U.S. government have been discussing ways to support Ukraine’s protection of freedom. However, we cannot confirm the details of the discussion,” the spokesperson continued without 9)elaborating. South Korea has been providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022. It also joined the U.S. and Western democratic countries in 10)sanctioning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
But as the West has been increasing the amount and kinds of weapons supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russia, Seoul has 11)stopped short of providing lethal aid even though Washington has been looking to buy artillery shells from Seoul since late last year as a way to 12)replenish U.S. 13)stockpiles exhausted from suppling Kyiv. In January, Pentagon spokesperson 14)Lieutenant Colonel Martin Meiners told VOA’s Korean Service that Washington was still in talks with South Korea’s “nongovernment industrial defense base” for “potential sales of ammunition.” At the time, Seoul 15)refrained from ammunition sales to avoid upsetting Russia, which had hinted that it could 16)resume military cooperation with North Korea if South Korea assisted Ukraine.
Scott Snyder, director of the program on U.S.-Korea policy and a 17)senior fellow for Korea studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said, “The leaked documents represent an 18)impediment to South Korea’s cooperation with the U.S. to support Ukraine 19)to the extent that they may raise the domestic political cost to Yoon of doing so.” The 20)allegation of U.S. 21)espionage has sparked criticism in South Korea. Opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung said the Yoon government needed to secure “an official apology” from the U.S. and a “guarantee” it would not spy again.
Bruce Klingner, senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at the Heritage Foundation, said, “The South Korean opposition party predictably is trying to use the issue to 22)undermine support for the 23)alliance and to 24)score political points against President Yoon.” Yoon’s office issued a statement Tuesday saying the defense chiefs of South Korea and the U.S. agreed that significant portions of the leaked Pentagon documents contained fabricated information.
Published: 2023-04-12
Source: VOANEWS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Stand firm : 강경한 입장을 취하다
2) reiterate : 반복하다
3) leak : (v)(액체, 기체가) 새다. (n) 누설, 누수 (여기서는 미국방부 문서의 누설이라는 뜻)
4) Pentagon : 미국방부
5) reportedly : 전하는 바에 따르면
6) deliberate : 숙고하다, 심의하다
7) artillery : 대포 artillery shell : 포탄
8) ammunition : 탄약 ⇒ 첫 번째 문단의 의미 : “전하는 바에 따르면 탄약이 우크라이나에 도달할 수 있다는 우려 때문에 대한민국 최고 관리들이 미국에 포탄을 판매할 것인가를 두고 심의 중임을 보여주는 미국방부 서류가 누출된 이후 서울은 키에프에 살상 무기를 보내지 않겠다는 결정을 반복했다.
9) elaborate : 자세하게 말하다
10) sanction : 규제하다
11) stop short of : --하는데 까지는 가지 않다, --하는 것을 꺼리다
12) replenish : 보충하다
13) stockpile : 비축량
14) lieutenant colonel : 중령
15) refrain from : --를 삼가하다
16) resume : --을 재개하디
17) senior fellow : 선임연구원
18) impediment : 장애물
19) to the extent that : ---할 정도로 ⇒ to the extent that they may raise the domestic political cost to Yoon : 윤대통령에게 국내 정치의 부담을 더 지울 수 있을 정도로
20) allegation : 혐의
21) espionage : 간첩
22) undermine : 파괴하다
23) alliance : 동맹
24) score the political points against President Yoon : 윤대통령에게 불리한 정치적 입장을 얻어내다 < Copyright © The Gachon Herald All rights reserved > |
