朝韩双方在边界海域发生交火
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.
据路透社报道，3月31日，朝韩在双方认为有争议的西部海上边界发生交火，韩国方面紧急出动多架军机，该国一个岛屿上的居民不得不逃往防空洞避难，这是2010年以来双方之间的紧张关系升级最剧烈的一次。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.
朝鲜方面一颗炮弹落入韩国水域，不过与2010年不同的是，此次并无炮弹落到韩国的陆地上。2010年发生的炮击事件曾致两名士兵和两名平民丧生。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.
韩国一位官员表示，朝鲜方面的炮击演习迫使附近岛屿上的韩国海军陆战队向该海域开火还击。有媒体表示，首尔方面紧急出动了多架F-15战斗机，沿着边境线的韩方一侧巡逻。
It was not clear how many shots were fired by either side.
目前还不清楚双方各开了多少炮。据韩国媒体报道称，朝鲜“用海岸炮和多管火箭炮共发射500余枚炮弹，其中有100余枚落入半岛西部海域北方界线的韩方一侧，对此韩方回射了300余枚炮弹。”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.
双方此次发生交火，正值围绕朝鲜的紧张局势不断加剧之时。就在上周，当韩国、日本和美国领导人为讨论朝鲜武器计划而举行会谈时，朝鲜发射了多枚中程导弹。对朝鲜的这一行为，联合国安理会(UN Security Council)表示了谴责。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.
发生交火的区域接近所谓的“北方界线”(Northern Limit Line)，这条线是朝鲜战争结束时划定的，不过朝鲜方面拒绝承认这一边界。过去，双方海军在该海域发生的冲突曾造成双方数十名海员丧生。“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.
一位要求匿名的国防部官员表示，多枚炮弹落到朝鲜半岛西海岸附近几个人口稠密的韩国岛屿北部海域内。The two sides are still technically at war as the conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty.
当地政府官员在电话中表示，白翎岛(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.
韩国曾警告说，如果朝鲜攻击韩国领土，将予以强势还击。Residents on Baengnyeong island were evacuated to bomb shelters, a local government official said by telephone.
长期以来，这一海上边界附近不断爆发冲突，周一的演习是其中最新一例。
