North Korea submarine ’missing’ as US-South Korea drills continue

A North Korean submarine is missing and presumed sunk, according to reports in the US media. The vessel was operating off the North Korean coast for several days when it disappeared, a paper with close links to the US military says.

美国媒体报道称朝鲜一艘潜艇失踪，或已沉没。一篇和美军有密切关联的文章称，这艘潜艇消失时已在朝鲜海岸执行任务数日。

The accident comes at a time of heightened tension in the region as South Korea and the US continue their largest-ever military exercise. North Korea has issued another threat of war over the drill. It said it was prepared to launch a pre-emptive strike in response to any sign that an invasion was being prepared.

这起事故发生之时正值该地区局势紧张之际，韩国和美国正进行他们有史以来最大型的联合军事演习。与此同时，朝鲜在制造其他的战争警告。朝方称一旦发现任何入侵迹象，他们随时准备进行先发制人的报复打击。

According to the US Naval Institute journal, officials said the US Navy was tracking the submarine when it suddenly disappeared. It says the North Korean military operates a fleet of about 70 submarines ranging in sizes.

美国海军学院杂志报道，官员称这艘潜艇突然消失时，美国海军正在监视它。报道称朝鲜军队拥有70艘大小不一的潜艇。

The US military had observed the North Korean navy searching for the missing submarine, CNN reports. BBC Korea correspondent Stephen Evans says North Korea has two submarine bases on the eastern coast, facing Japan, and the submarine was thought to have been operating near these bases.

美军已对朝鲜海军进行监视并搜寻失踪的潜艇。BBC韩国通讯记者Stephen Evans称朝鲜在东部海岸有两个面向日本的潜艇基地，这艘潜艇应该在这些基地附近工作。

If the North Korean submarine has sunk, it is not known if its difficulties were connected to the current stand-off between North and South, our reporter says. Security tensions have increased since the North tested a nuclear device in January.

如果这艘潜艇已沉没，尚无法判断它的故障是否和目前的南北对峙有关。一月份朝鲜进行核测试后，安全局势转趋紧张。

Earlier this week, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea a few days after threatening to launch a "pre-emptive nuclear strike of justice" against the US and South Korea.

本周早些时候，朝鲜在威胁美国和韩国号称要发动“先发制人的正义的核攻击”之后数日，又发射了两枚短程弹道导弹入海。

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un also claimed scientists had developed nuclear warheads small enough to fit on ballistic missiles. Many analysts think this capability could still be several years away.

朝鲜领导人金正恩还声称科学家已为弹道导弹研制出足够小的弹头。很多分析师认为实现这种性能仍需要几年的时间。

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来源:BBC News爱语吧作者:Jessie