裝腔造勢: 朝鮮敦促外國人撤離韓國

North Korea has urged Foreigners in South Korea to leave the country to ensure their safety in case of war, as tensions escalate on the Korean peninsula.

朝鮮敦促外國人撤離韓國，以確保他們在萬一發生戰爭時的安全。目前朝鮮半島緊張局勢繼續升級。

“We do not wish harm on foreigners in South Korea should there be a war,” the official KCNA news agency quoted Pyongyang as saying yesterday.

“朝鮮不願意看到這場戰爭使在南朝鮮的外國人遭受損害，”官方的朝鮮中央通訊社(KCNA)昨日援引平壤方面的聲明稱。

“Foreign institutions, companies and tourists in Seoul and other parts of the country should set up plans to take shelter and devise a way to evacuate,” KCNA said.

“在首爾和南朝鮮其它地方的外國機構、企業和遊客，應擬訂隱蔽計劃並安排撤離事宜，”朝中社表示。

The US could intercept a North Korean ballistic missile, the US commander in the Pacific said yesterday, but the Pyongyang regime was still a “clear and direct threat to the US”.

美國太平洋司令部(USPACOM)司令昨日表示，美國能夠攔截朝鮮的彈道導彈，但平壤政權仍是“對美國既明顯又直接的威脅”。

Admiral Samuel Locklear, speaking at a congressional hearing in Washington, said that the relationship between the west and North Korea was as bad as it had been since the Korean war.

海軍上將塞繆爾•洛克利爾(Samuel Locklear)在華盛頓美國國會的一個聽證會上表示，西方與朝鮮之間的關係已經惡化到朝鮮戰爭以來最糟糕的程度。

The North has made bellicose statements in recent weeks as the US and South Korea have held planned military exercises. Relations with Pyongyang have rapidly deteriorated since the UN imposed sanctions on North Korea after the communist state conducted a third nuclear test in February.

近幾周，在美韓按預定計劃舉行聯合軍演之際，朝鮮不斷髮布好戰聲明。自聯合國針對朝鮮在2月份進行的第三次核試驗出臺製裁措施以來，國際社會與這個共產黨國家的關係快速惡化。

“The US and warmongers in Seoul are in the process of amassing weapons of mass destruction in the South and waiting for the opportunity to strike,” North Korea said yesterday.

“美國和南朝鮮傀儡好戰分子正在南朝鮮集結大批大規模殺傷性武器，窺伺挑起侵朝戰爭的機會，”朝鮮昨日的聲明表示。

Some analysts say Pyongyang wants to manufacture a crisis to get concessions from the US and South Korea – repeating a pattern that once prompted Robert Gates, the former US defence secretary, to say the US did not want to “buy the same horse twice”. In a sign that South Korea is becoming increasingly frustrated, President Park Geun-hye appeared to take a similar line yesterday.

一些分析人士表示，平壤方面有意故伎重演，即製造一場危機，以便從美國和韓國撈到一些好處。美國前國防部長羅伯特•蓋茨(Robert Gates)在談到這一模式時曾表示，美國不希望“一匹馬買兩次”。突顯韓國也變得越來越不耐煩的一個跡象是，韓國總統朴槿惠(Park Geun-hye)昨日擺出類似立場。

“When [Pyongyang] creates tension, we give them compromise and aid. How long should we repeat this vicious cycle?” she said.

“每次北韓製造緊張局面，我方都要給他們妥協和援助。這樣的惡性循環要重複到什麼時候？”朴槿惠表示。

The South Korean foreign ministry said no embassies in Seoul had advised staff to leave despite the latest warning. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, the two Japanese carriers, said they had no plans to cancel flights. Seoul’s Incheon airport said no flights had been redirected in response to the rhetoric.

韓國外交部表示，儘管朝鮮發出最新警告，但沒有一個常駐首爾的外國使館安排人員撤離。日本航空(Japan Airlines)和全日空(All Nippon Airways)這兩家日本航空公司均稱不計劃取消航班。首爾的仁川國際機場(Incheon airport)表示，沒有因爲朝鮮的言論而指示任何航班備降其他機場。

The South’s defence ministry said it was ready to counter any provocations. But it said there were no signs of North Korea preparing its 1.2m-strong army for war. Korean government officials said the possibility of all-out war was still low although North Korea may provoke some small-scale conflicts.

韓國國防部表示，已準備好還擊任何挑釁行爲。但該部門稱，沒有跡象顯示朝鮮正動員其兵力超過120萬的軍隊準備開戰。韓國政府官員表示，全面戰爭的可能性仍較小，儘管朝鮮可能挑起某些小規模衝突。

Ban Ki-Moon, UN secretary-general, said yesterday that tensions on the peninsula risked slipping out of control. “A small incident caused by miscalculation or misjudgment may create an uncontrollable situation.”

聯合國祕書長潘基文(Ban Ki-Moon)昨日表示，朝鮮半島緊張局勢可能失控。“由誤解或誤判引起的一個局部事件，可能引發失控的局面，”他表示。

Pyongyang has recently nullified the armistice reached with Seoul at the end of the war. Last week, Pyongyang advised foreign embassies to consider evacuating staff from the capital by today – ahead of the April 15 anniversary of the birth of North Korea’s founder Kim Il-sung – warning it could not protect them in case of war.

朝鮮最近廢止了朝鮮戰爭結束時與韓國達成的停戰協議。上週，朝鮮建議常駐平壤的外國使館考慮最遲在今日（4月10日）撤離人員——趕在4月15日朝鮮開國領袖金日成(Kim Il-sung)誕辰紀念日之前，警告稱，若發生戰爭將無法保證這些人的安全。

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan would closely consult its allies in preparation for a possible missile launch. Meanwhile China said it did not want to see chaos on the Korean peninsula.

日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)表示，日本將與盟國密切磋商，準備應對朝鮮可能發射的導彈。與此同時，中國表示不希望看到朝鮮半島出現戰亂。