[ti:North Korean Weapons Launch Sends Message to the South] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.44]On May 4, Kim Jong Un watched North Korean forces [00:05.60]fire a new short-range ballistic missile, experts said. [00:11.88]The missile and several other rockets went up [00:15.52]and then into the sea off North Korea's east coast. [00:20.92]It is North Korea's first ballistic missile test in a year and a half. [00:27.48]The launch appears to violate U.N. Security Council resolutions [00:32.80]that ban North Korean ballistic missile activity. [00:37.88]The office of South Korean President Moon Jae-in [00:42.68]said it is "very concerned" the North Korean missile test [00:48.04]violates the spirit of the inter-Korean agreements. [00:53.40]But U.S. President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials [00:57.96]quickly suggested the test was not very important. [01:02.16]They said the North did not violate its own promise [01:06.08]to stop tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles, [01:10.40]or long-range ballistic missiles. [01:14.36]However, some experts warn that position [01:18.56]could frighten U.S. allies because short-range weapons [01:23.28]could still hit South Korea and Japan. [01:27.32]Robert Carlin is a North Korea scholar [01:30.96]writing for the website 38 North. [01:34.27]He says the North Korean test was probably a way [01:38.44]to show anger toward the South Korean government [01:42.40]for continuing joint military exercises with U.S. forces. [01:48.84]Last month, Kim called the exercises "hostile acts." [01:54.44]North and South Korea did agree last April [01:58.48]to stop "all hostile acts" against each other [02:02.00]and eliminate the "danger of war." [02:05.64]But they never signed an agreement [02:07.72]to stop military exercises completely, [02:11.24]and drills have continued on both sides. [02:15.64]North Korea also blames Moon for not acting [02:19.60]on the inter-Korean agreements reached [02:22.80]during three meetings over the past year. [02:26.56]However, U.S. and international trade limits [02:30.24]have prevented Moon from following through [02:33.58]on many parts of the agreements. [02:36.72]The North Korean weapon launch [02:38.60]puts additional pressure on Moon. [02:41.24]His public approval rating was very high [02:44.28]after his first meeting with Kim. [02:47.24]Now it is half of what it was. [02:50.43]Adding to Moon's problems, South Korea's economy [02:54.80]unexpectedly lost value in the first quarter of 2019. [03:00.20]A growing number of South Koreans [03:02.32]oppose his contact with the North. [03:05.36]They see it as unexperienced and unsuccessful. [03:10.24]Moon still wants to work with the North. [03:13.10]He said last month he would hold a fourth [03:16.13]top-level meeting with Kim "any time, any place." [03:21.88]I'm Jill Robbins. [03:25.20]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM