韓國擔心輻射雨 學校停課

Showers on the Korean peninsula prompted some schools to close Thursday. Many parents were worried about exposing children to "radioactive rain." They were not reassured by South Korean authorities, who said there is no risk to children, even if some radioactive particles might be detected in rain water.

星期四韓國普遍降雨導致一些學校停課。很多家長擔心孩子淋到含有放射性物質的雨水。韓國當局表示，即便雨水中可能有一些放射性物質，也不會對人體構成威脅。儘管如此，人們仍然對核輻射深感擔憂。

Fears about radiation in rain prompted classes to be canceled at some schools in South Korea.

韓國一些學校因擔心雨水中含有放射性微塵而宣佈停課。

In Gyeonggi province, 125 kindergartens and elementary schools gave students the day off.

位於韓國西北部的京畿道，125個幼兒園和小學讓孩子們放假一天。

A spokesman for the provincial education office, Cho Byung-lae, says all institutions there were asked to curtail outdoor activities, but it was left up to school principals to decide whether to cancel instruction.

京畿道教育廳發一位言人說，已經通知了當地所有教育機構都要限制戶外活動，但是否停課，由各校校長自行決定。

Cho says they did not decide to close schools because of radiation, calling that a rather remote risk. But, he explains because there was such strong concern expressed by many parents, school authorities decided to relieve their anxiety.

這位發言人說，他們沒有因放射性微塵的問題而決定關閉學校，因爲輻射風險很小。不過他解釋說，因爲家長表達了強烈的關切，因此校方決定減輕家長的擔憂。

In Seoul, educators refused to cancel classes and appealed for calm. However, some parents in the capital say they did not send their children to school because of the risk of radiation in the rain.

首爾的教育部門負責人拒絕宣佈讓學校停課並呼籲保持鎮靜。然而首都地區的一些家長表示他們沒有送孩子上學是因爲擔心雨水中含有放射性物質。

Other schools in the country dismissed class early or halted outdoor activities, including sporting events.

韓國其它地方的學校提前放學，取消了包括體育運動在內的各項戶外活動。The South Korean prime minister’s office and other government agencies said, even if the rainfall has traces of radiation, the amount would be too small to raise any health concerns.

韓國總理辦公室和政府其它機構說，即使雨水中含有少量幅射物，其含量也微乎其微，不至引發任何健康方面的關切。

Worry grew after South Korea’s Institute of Nuclear Safety reported a small level of radioactive iodine and cesium was detected in rain off Jeju Cheju island, in the southern part of the country.

韓國公衆感到擔心是因爲此前韓國核安全研究所的報告說，在韓國南部的濟州島外的雨水中探測到少量的放射性碘和銫。

President Lee Myung-bak asked meanwhile for increased screening of imported food to check radiation levels. During a visit to the country’s Food and Drug Administration, he said people here are bound to be worried because South Korea is so close to Japan. The crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant is 1,000 kilometers east of the Korean peninsula.

與此同時，李明博總統要求加強進口食品的放射水平檢測。李明博在視察韓國食品藥物管理局時說，韓國離日本很近，人們自然會感到擔憂。受損的日本福島核電廠距離朝鮮半島東部僅1000公里。

South Korea, along with China, has expressed frustration that Japan did not give neighboring countries timely information before its release of radioactive water from the stricken nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. Japan's top government spokesman has apologized for the failure.

韓國和中國都對日本在向太平洋傾倒受損核電廠含放射性污水之前，沒有及時向鄰國通報相關信息表示不滿。日本政府發言人對此表示道歉。

The plant, on Japan’s northeastern coast, was hit by the March 11 magnitude 9.0 earthquake and resulting tsunami. The nuclear plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, Thursday began pumping nitrogen into one of the most severely damaged reactors, hoping to prevent another explosion of hydrogen gas.

日本東北地區的福島核電廠3月11號遭受了高達9級的地震和由此引發的海嘯的襲擊。負責運營這家核電廠 的“東京電力公司”星期四開始向受損最爲嚴重的一個核反應堆注入氮氣，希望以此防止再次發生氫氣爆炸。