09-05-07

北韓逮捕間諜 (North Korea Arrests Spies)

北韓表示，其國家安全部逮捕了為某國充當間諜的幾名北韓公民。官方的朝中社星期三報導，一個外國間諜機構利用金錢、美色和勒索威逼利誘了這些北韓人。幾位外國人也被逮捕。

朝中社的報導說，這些特工人員裝扮成商人，用照相機和全球定位系統拍攝北韓重要軍事設施並製圖。北韓說，這些間諜還被要求收集軍方情報和國家機密，並散播民主和自由思想。報導沒有指明這個外國或者情報機構。

這是近年來北韓首次宣佈逮捕間諜的消息。

North Korea says its National Security Service has arrested several of its citizens who were working as spies for a foreign country. The official Korean Central News Agency reports Wednesday that a foreign espionage agency coerced the North Koreans with money, sex and blackmail. Several foreigners were also arrested.

The news report says the agents had posed as businessmen and used cameras, and global positioning systems to take pictures and draw maps of key military facilities. North Korea says the spies also were asked to collect information on military and state secrets and spread the ideas of freedom and democracy. It did not identify the foreign country or the spy agency.

This is the first time in recent years that North Korea has announced the arrest of spies.

日本和北韓在罕見會談中處理棘手問題 (Japan, North Korea Tackle Tough Issues in Rare Talks)

日本和北韓在蒙古舉行少有的會談，作為有關結束北韓核武器項目廣泛外交努力的一部分。日本特使美根慶樹說，為了爭取兩國關係正常化，他已經準備好真誠地討論日本為1910年到1945年期間北韓半島殖民統治做出賠償的方式。

預計這將是兩國星期三在烏蘭巴托開始的兩天會談的主要議題。在會談中，日本將推動北韓解決綁架日本公民引起的爭端。美根表示，除非綁架問題得到解決，否則兩國關係將不會改善。

北韓承認在1970年代和1980年代曾經綁架了13名日本公民，幫助培訓北韓間諜。5人已經返回日本，北韓聲稱其他人已死亡。日本表示，被綁架的日本公民要更多。

Japan and North Korea have opened rare talks in Mongolia, as part of a broader diplomatic effort to end North Korea's nuclear weapons programs. Japanese envoy Yoshiki Mine says to normalize relations, he is prepared to sincerely discuss ways Japan can atone for its colonization of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945.

That issue is expected to top the agenda of the two-day talks that opened Wednesday in Ulaanbaator. During the talks, Japan will push to address a dispute involving North Korea's kidnapping of Japanese citizens. Mine says relations will not improve unless the issue is resolved.

North Korea has admitted it kidnapped 13 citizens in the 1970s and 1980s to help train its agents. Five have returned to Japan, and North Korea says the others are dead. Japan says many more were taken.