韩国军演让半岛紧张局势升级 Two Koreas raise the rhetoric

North Korea has warned of a “holy war” against the South, including use of nuclear weapons, while President Lee Myung-bak, of South Korea vowed a “merciless counterattack” if its territory were assaulted again.

朝鲜警告可能会对韩国发动“圣战”，包括动用核武器，而韩国总统李明博(Lee Myung-bak)则誓言，一旦领土再次遭袭，韩国将进行“无情的反击”。

Both sides were raising the rhetoric on the day South Korea launched big land and sea military exercises, prompting North Kor­ea to denounce its richer neighbour as a warmonger.

昨日，韩国举行大规模陆空联合演习，致使朝鲜指责其为“战争贩子”，两国的措辞都在升级。

The drills, the third this week, were seen as part of efforts by Mr Lee, who visited a frontline military unit on Thursday, to present a stronger image following heavy public criticism of the South Korean military’s response to North Korea’s deadly attack on Yeonpyeong island last month.

这已是韩国本周第三次军演，李明博周四到前线进行了视察。在上月朝鲜炮击延坪岛、导致4人丧生后，韩国军方的反应遭到公众的严厉批评。人们普遍认为，李明博正试图展现出一个更加强硬的形象，本周的军演就是其努力的一部分。

The defence minister was subsequently forced to resign after the attack, in which four people died.

在朝鲜炮击延坪岛事件导致死人丧生后，韩国国防部长被迫辞职。

Mr Lee said the military should launch a “merciless counterattack” if the North carried out further assaults like the Yeonpyeong incident, which caught South Koreans off-guard. He added that South Korea must remain vigilant, saying: “We had believed patience would ensure peace on this land, but that was not the case.”

李明博表示，如果朝鲜再次发动延坪岛事件那样的袭击，韩国军队应予以“无情的反击”。他还说，韩国必须保持警惕：“我们曾经相信，耐心能确保朝鲜半岛的和平，但事实并非如此。”

But some analysts fear the exercises might provoke fresh violence from the North, which has condemned Seoul’s actions. Pyongyang’s official KCNA news agency said that the South’s claims that the drills were routine were an attempt to “hide the provocative nature toward the North of the war exercises”.

但一些分析人士担心，军演可能会激起朝鲜新的暴力手段——朝鲜已对韩国的行动表示了谴责。朝鲜官方通讯社朝中社(KCNA)表示，韩国称这些军演只是常规演习，这是试图“掩盖其战争演习对朝鲜的挑衅性”。

Rodong Sinmun, the North’s official newspaper, accused the US of conspiring with Seoul and Tokyo to spark war.

朝鲜官方报纸《劳动新闻》(Rodong Sinmun)指责美国与韩日两国密谋发动战争。

“The Korean peninsula has turned sharply unstable on the brink of war due to scheming by the US to militarily stifle the North,” the commentary said.

评论称：“由于美国图谋对朝鲜进行军事压制，朝鲜半岛突然陷入濒临战争的不稳定状态。”

But Pyongyang stopped short of threatening retaliation, as China urged caution on both sides.

但在中国敦促朝韩双方都要保持谨慎后，朝鲜已不再威胁要实施报复。

Analysts said the North might not strike back immediately, as it was waiting to see the outcome of diplomatic efforts, with China calling for six-party talks and urging Pyongyang to allow international inspectors to return to its main nuclear facilities. But they warned that long-term risks remained, given the unpredictable nature of the reclusive regime.

分析人士表示，朝鲜可能不会立即发动反击，因为它正在等候外交努力的结果——中国呼吁举行六方会谈，并敦促朝鲜允许国际检查团回去检查其主要核设施。但分析人士警告，鉴于朝鲜政权反复无常的特性，长期风险依然存在。

“The series of drills would certainly anger North Korea’s military, although it is unlikely to retaliate for the time being as the regime tries to resume talks with the US,” said Cheong Seong-chang, a researcher at the Sejong Institute in Seoul. “If the US continues to show a cool response to the North’s offer and if Pyongyang judges that the possibility of bilateral talks is low, it may return to military options with strong provocations against the South to force Washington and Seoul to change their policies toward the North.”

韩国世宗研究院(Sejong Institute)研究员郑相昌(Cheong Seong-chang)表示：“一系列军演肯定会激怒朝鲜军方，不过由于朝鲜正试图恢复与美国对话，它暂时不太可能进行报复。如果美国对朝鲜的示好继续反应冷淡，且朝鲜认定举行双边会谈的可能性不高，朝鲜就可能重新诉诸军事手段，对韩国进行严重挑衅，以迫使美国和韩国改变其对朝政策。”