朝鲜的非法武器贸易

Illegal shipments of missile technology and weapons from North Korea have flowed unabated under the leadership of Kim Jong Eun, dashing Western hopes that Pyongyang's new leader might moderate his country's aggressive proliferation activities.

在金正恩(Kim Jong Eun)的领导下，朝鲜非法出口导弹技术和武器的势头丝毫没有减弱。西方国家原本希望朝鲜新任领导人可能会减缓朝鲜激进的武器扩散活动，现在看来这一希望已经受挫。

Ships or planes bound for Myanmar and Syria and loaded with weapons-related equipment originating in North Korea have been diverted or blocked in recent months, U.S., Asian and Arab officials say. The United Nations has imposed sanctions against Pyongyang's weapons trade.

美国、亚洲和阿拉伯国家官员说，近几个月，前往缅甸和叙利亚且装满源自朝鲜的武器相关设备的船只或飞机已经被迫改变航向或遭到阻拦。联合国已经因为平壤的武器贸易对朝鲜实施制裁。

The disclosures come amid new fears that North Korea is preparing for its second long-range missile launch since Mr. Kim took power in late 2011. Satellite images this week showed increased activity at North Korea's satellite-launch station on its western coast.

就在上述消息披露的同时，外界开始再次对朝鲜正在准备金正恩2011年末上台以来的第二次长程导弹发射计划表示关切。本周传来的卫星图像显示，位于朝鲜西海岸的卫星发射站的活动越来越频繁。

The Obama administration and allied governments have been hoping to test Mr. Kim's willingness to more directly engage Washington and perhaps open up his isolated nation. U.S. officials note that the younger Kim is the first North Korean leader who didn't live through the 1950-53 Korean War. And the Swiss-educated dictator, believed to have been born in 1983 or 1984, has initiated some economic reforms, reorganized the military and shown a liking for Western pop music since succeeding his late father, Kim Jong Il.

奥巴马政府及美国盟友一直希望看看，金正恩到底是否愿意更加直接地同华盛顿方面接触，或可能打开受孤立的朝鲜的国门。美国官员指出，年轻的金正恩是首位没有亲身经历1950年至1953年朝鲜战争的朝鲜领导人。这位在瑞士接受教育、据信出生于1983或1984年的独裁者自接替他已故父亲金正日(Kim Jong Il)以来，已经启动了一些经济改革，对军队进行重组，并对西方流行音乐表现出好感。

Nonetheless, North Korea's continued arms exports and missile tests are signs that the younger Mr. Kim has little desire─or ability─to change Pyongyang's roguish behavior. Indeed, U.S. and Asian officials said they are still not certain if Mr. Kim has fully consolidated power over North Korea's generals. And the cash-strapped North is desperately in need of the hard currency it gets from arms exports.

尽管如此，朝鲜继续武器出口并进行导弹试射等迹象表明，年轻的金正恩并不愿意（或没有能力）改变平壤的无赖行径。事实上，美国和亚洲官员说，他们还不能确定金正恩是否已经在朝鲜高级将领中彻底巩固了自己的权力。而囊中羞涩的朝鲜也迫切需要通过武器出口换来的硬通货。

U.S. officials believe North Korea has remained one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's closest partners, helping develop Damascus's missile and chemical-weapons programs even as a civil war has engulfed the Arab country. U.N. inspectors believe Damascus and Pyongyang secretly built a nuclear reactor in eastern Syria before Israeli jets destroyed the facility in 2007.

美国官员认为朝鲜仍然是叙利亚总统阿萨德(Bashar al-Assad)最亲密的伙伴之一。就在内战席卷叙利亚的同时，朝鲜还在帮助叙利亚开发导弹和化学武器等项目。联合国核查人员认为，朝鲜和叙利亚曾在叙利亚东部地区秘密建造了一座核反应堆，这座反应堆在2007年被以色列战机摧毁。

Arab officials said North Korea has continued to seek to fly weapons components into Syria. The Iraqi government said it blocked in September a North Korean plane from using its airspace to fly a suspected arms shipment into Syria.

阿拉伯官员说，朝鲜仍在试图通过飞机将武器零部件送入叙利亚。伊拉克政府说，今年9月该国曾阻止一架朝鲜飞机利用其领空将疑为武器的货物送入叙利亚。

North Korea's ties to Syria have drawn the particular focus of the U.N. Security Council, which is compiling an annual report on the international arms embargo against the country.

朝鲜同叙利亚的关系已经引起联合国安理会的特别关注。安理会正在就针对朝鲜的国际武器禁运事宜编制一份年度报告。

The report details a May seizure by the South Korean government of a Syria-bound North Korean shipment of graphite cylinders, according to Western officials who have seen the document. The equipment is believed to be used in Syria's missile programs.

据看过这份报告的西方官员说，该报告详细记述了今年5月朝鲜运往叙利亚的一批石墨棒被韩国政府查获的过程。这种设备被认为会用于叙利亚的导弹计划。

U.S. defense officials said in recent interviews that North Korea, along with Iran and Russia, serves as President Assad's most important ally in allowing Damascus to continue to prosecute its war against an increasingly well-armed opposition. 'North Korea hasn't appeared to slow down its cooperation at all with Syria,' said a U.S. defense official.

美国国防官员最近在接受采访时说，朝鲜与伊朗和俄罗斯是叙利亚总统阿萨德最重要的盟友，它们使叙利亚政府能够继续对装备日益精良的反对派发动战争。一位美国国防官员说，朝鲜似乎丝毫没有放慢与叙利亚的合作步伐。

In a new sequence of events, meanwhile, Japanese government officials are investigating the cargo of a Taiwanese ship headed for Myanmar and suspected of containing materials violating economic sanctions against North Korea's weapons trade.

与此同时，作为新近一系列相关事件中的一起，日本政府官员正在调查一艘驶往缅甸的台湾船只上装载的货物，这艘船只所载的材料被怀疑违反了针对朝鲜武器贸易的经济制裁。

The investigation, started in August but only now coming to light, found that the cargo was routed through several Asian cities in a complex shipment scheme, according to Japanese government and Taiwanese shipping officials.

这项调查始于今年8月，但现在才曝光。据日本政府和台湾船运官员说，调查发现，船上的货物依照一个复杂的运输方案途经了多个亚洲城市。

The questionable cargo was loaded while the ship was in Dalian, China, where it was bound for a construction company in Myanmar. Western officials have complained before about North Korean shipments going through China, but officials in Beijing asked about the episode insisted that they abide by U.N. nonproliferation agreements.

可疑货物是在中国大连装船的，将被运往缅甸的一家建筑公司。西方官员此前一直对朝鲜货物经由中国表示不满，但被问及此事的中国政府官员坚持说，中方遵守了联合国的防止核武器扩散协议。

It took a multination effort to persuade the ship's operators to change course and go to Japan, where the cargo was impounded.

经过多国的努力，上述台湾船只的运营商最终被说服改变轮船航线，转而驶往日本。在日本船上货物被扣。

Japanese officials suspect the cargo contained items linked to North Korea's nuclear weapons program; Western officials said the items could also be used by Myanmar for missiles.

日本官员怀疑船上的货物中有与朝鲜核武器计划有关的材料；西方官员则说，这些材料也可能被缅甸用来制造导弹。

Investigators have found in the cargo items with inscriptions standing for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name, according to Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun, which first reported the seizure of the cargo.

据日本报纸《朝日资讯》(Asahi Shimbun)说，调查人员在货物中发现了带有朝鲜国名标识的物品。该报最先报道了货物被查扣的消息。

The shipment and its seizure all occurred before President Barack Obama's historic visit this month to Myanmar. U.S. officials have reported significant progress in trying to cut Myanmar's military ties to Pyongyang, particularly in light of fears that the two countries may have shared nuclear technologies.

这批货物的运输及查扣都发生在美国总统奥巴马(Barack Obama)本月对缅甸进行历史性访问之前。美国官员表示，在努力切断缅甸军方与平壤的联系方面取得了巨大进展，人们尤其担心这两个国家可能分享核技术。

The U.S. was encouraged by Myanmar President Thein Sein's announcement this month that his nation would sign an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, to allow expansive inspections of his country.

令美国感到鼓舞的是，缅甸总统吴登盛(Thein Sein)本月宣布，缅甸将与联合国的核监管机构国际原子能机构(International Atomic Energy Agency)签署一份协议，允许其对缅甸进行广泛的检查。

Still, there remain concerns in the Pentagon and State Department that North Korea is trying to maintain its arms trade with Myanmar's military, even as civilians play a larger role in the running of the country.

尽管如此，美国国防部和国务院仍有人担心，在文职官员在缅甸政府中扮演更大角色之际，朝鲜正努力保持与缅甸军方的武器贸易。

'It's a continuous battle to try and stop North Koreans' exports,' said a second U.S. official.

另一位美国官员说，阻止朝鲜出口是一场持久战。

Zaw Htay, an official with President Thein Sein's office, acknowledged that Myanmar may have previously purchased conventional weapons from North Korea but no longer does following its transition to a quasicivilian government over the past two years. He denied that Myanmar ever had a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement with North Korea.

总统吴登盛(Thein Sein)办公室官员Zaw Htay承认，缅甸之前可能从朝鲜买过常规武器，但在转型为准平民政府之后，过去两年已经不再购买。他否认缅甸曾与朝鲜签署过双边核合作协议。

Pyongyang has publicly stated in the past that the U.N. sanctions are illegal and that North Korea, like the U.S., has the right to sell arms.

平壤过去曾公开声称联合国的制裁为非法，并称朝鲜和美国一样拥有出售武器的权利。

The State Department wouldn't comment on the seizure of the cargo.

美国国务院对查扣货物一事不予评论。

U.S. officials briefed on Tokyo's operation said Washington has cooperated with the Japanese on the investigation and is closely monitoring all North Korean air and sea traffic.

知悉东京活动的美国官员说，华盛顿曾配合日本的调查，并在密切监视朝鲜的全部空中和海上交通。

Separately, a Japanese customs official said that authorities in September seized a compact disc containing information related to North Korean weapons development imported into Japan on a Norwegian-registered plane. There were no further details.

一位日本海关官员在另外场合表示，有关部门9月份查扣了一张通过一架挪威籍飞机运往日本的光盘，光盘包含有关朝鲜武器开发的情报。除此以外没有其他细节。

As Western officials closely monitor Pyongyang, the potential missile launch looms as a particular concern.

在西方官员紧盯平壤一举一动的时候，可能进行的导弹发射尤其让他们担忧。

The satellite detail this week was released by the private firm DigitalGlobe Inc., DGI -0.20% which provides imagery to the U.S. government.

私营公司DigitalGlobe Inc.在本周发布了卫星的细节。该公司为美国政府提供影像。

The images show people, trucks and equipment at the launch site, which the firm said was consistent with photos released ahead of North Korea's failed April 13 launch.

影像显示了发射场地的人员、卡车和设备。DigitalGlobe公司说，这些影像同朝鲜4月13日发射失败前夕的照片一致。

'Given the observed level of activity noted of a new tent, trucks, people and numerous portable fuel/oxidizer tanks, should North Korea desire, it could possibly conduct its fifth satellite launch event during the next three weeks,'' DigitalGlobe said.

DigitalGlobe说，从新帐篷、卡车、人员和多个便携式燃料/氧化剂罐所体现的活动水平来看，只要朝鲜愿意，它就有可能在未来三个星期之内开展第五次卫星发射活动。

The State Department warned Pyongyang against a launch. The U.S. suspended a shipment of humanitarian aid to the North after the unsuccessful April test.

美国国务院警告平壤方面不要发射。4月发射活动失败之后，美国暂停向朝鲜输送一批人道主义救援物资。

In addition to the current unrest in the Middle East, Obama administration officials have said in recent days that maintaining stability in East Asia could present the White House with one of its biggest foreign-policy challenges during Mr. Obama's second term.

奥巴马政府官员近几天说，除了当前的中东乱局之外，如何维护东亚地区的稳定，可能是奥巴马第二个任期白宫面临的最大对外政策挑战之一。

Tensions between China and Japan have intensified in recent months due to a dispute over islands in the East China Sea, controlled by Japan, which call them Senkaku, but also claimed by China, which refers to them as Diaoyu.

因日本称尖阁列岛(Senkaku）、中国称钓鱼岛的东中国海岛屿争端，中日矛盾在近几个月加剧。日本控制着这些岛屿，中国也声称拥有岛屿主权。

A second North Korean missile test, said senior U.S. officials, could further inflame tensions, particularly as Japan believes China has played a role in facilitating Pyongyang's proliferation activities.

美国高级官员说，朝鲜如果再次试射导弹，则有可能进一步加剧矛盾，特别是因为日本相信中国对朝鲜的核扩散活动起到了帮助作用。