朝韓雙方在邊界海域發生交火
SEOUL, March 31 – North and South Korea exchanged artillery fire on Monday off their disputed western maritime border, Seoul scrambled jets and residents of a South Korean island fled to bomb shelters in the most dramatic escalation of tensions since 2010.
據路透社報道，3月31日，朝韓在雙方認爲有爭議的西部海上邊界發生交火，韓國方面緊急出動多架軍機，該國一個島嶼上的居民不得不逃往防空洞避難，這是2010年以來雙方之間的緊張關係升級最劇烈的一次。One North Korean shell landed in South Korean waters, although none hit South Korean land, unlike in 2010 when a barrage killed two soldiers and two civilians.
朝鮮方面一顆炮彈落入韓國水域，不過與2010年不同的是，此次並無炮彈落到韓國的陸地上。2010年發生的炮擊事件曾致兩名士兵和兩名平民喪生。A North Korean shelling drill prompted marines on a nearby island to return fire shots into the water, said a South Korean official. Seoul scrambled F-15 fighters to patrol its side of the border, media said.
韓國一位官員表示，朝鮮方面的炮擊演習迫使附近島嶼上的韓國海軍陸戰隊向該海域開火還擊。有媒體表示，首爾方面緊急出動了多架F-15戰鬥機，沿着邊境線的韓方一側巡邏。
It was not clear how many shots were fired by either side.
目前還不清楚雙方各開了多少炮。據韓國媒體報道稱，朝鮮“用海岸炮和多管火箭炮共發射500餘枚炮彈，其中有100餘枚落入半島西部海域北方界線的韓方一側，對此韓方回射了300餘枚炮彈。”The firing came amid heightened tensions surrounding North Korea after the UN Security Council condemned Pyongyang for its mid-range missile launches last week, just as the leaders of South Korea, Japan and the US met to discuss the North’s arms programme.
雙方此次發生交火，正值圍繞朝鮮的緊張局勢不斷加劇之時。就在上週，當韓國、日本和美國領導人爲討論朝鮮武器計劃而舉行會談時，朝鮮發射了多枚中程導彈。對朝鮮的這一行爲，聯合國安理會(UN Security Council)表示了譴責。The area where the artillery exchange occurred is near the so-called Northern Limit Line, drawn up at the end of the 1950-53 Korean war, which the North has refused to recognise. Past clashes between the two navies in the area killed scores of sailors on both sides.
發生交火的區域接近所謂的“北方界線”(Northern Limit Line)，這條線是朝鮮戰爭結束時劃定的，不過朝鮮方面拒絕承認這一邊界。過去，雙方海軍在該海域發生的衝突曾造成雙方數十名海員喪生。“It’s up to the two militaries either to recognise or reject their own claimed line, and challenge the other’s – this goes back and forth, so this is probably another episode of that,” said Daniel Pinkston of the International Crisis Group.
一位要求匿名的國防部官員表示，多枚炮彈落到朝鮮半島西海岸附近幾個人口稠密的韓國島嶼北部海域內。The two sides are still technically at war as the conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty.
當地政府官員在電話中表示，白翎島(Baengnyeong)居民曾被疏散至防空洞。Artillery shells landed in the water north of one of the populated South Korean islands off the peninsula’s west coast, a defence ministry official, who asked not to be named, said.
韓國曾警告說，如果朝鮮攻擊韓國領土，將予以強勢還擊。Residents on Baengnyeong island were evacuated to bomb shelters, a local government official said by telephone.
長期以來，這一海上邊界附近不斷爆發衝突，週一的演習是其中最新一例。
