South Korean Politicians Demand Apology for American Envoy's 'Insult'
美韩牛肉争执升温韩国自由派反美

　 
The leader of South Korea's main political opposition party is accusing the United States ambassador in Seoul of insulting Koreans. The comments in question relate to an emotionally electrified controversy over resuming American beef imports.

韩国主要的反对党领袖指责美国驻韩国大使侮辱韩国人。美国大使的讲话涉及到韩国恢复进口美国牛肉这个极具争议的敏感问题。

Sohn Hak-kyu, chairman of South Korea's United New Democratic Party, says U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Alexander Vershbow is "impolite and arrogant."

孙鹤圭(Sohn Hak-kyu)是韩国统合民主党的主席。他说，美国驻韩国大使弗什鲍(Alexander Vershbow)“无礼、傲慢”。

He says remarks like the ones Vershbow made this week are an "insult to all South Koreans." Sohn's anger was raised by the American ambassador suggesting South Koreans need to be aware of the scientific facts about American beef.

孙鹤圭说，弗什鲍这个星期发表的言论“侮辱了所有的韩国人”。让孙鹤圭感到气愤的是，美国驻韩国大使说韩国人需要了解有关美国牛肉的科学数据。

The remarks referred to what is easily the most explosive political issue of the moment on the South Korean domestic front - plans by the government to resume the import of U.S. beef.

弗什鲍大使的谈话所涉及的是目前在韩国最容易引发争议的一个政治问题，那就是，韩国政府方面计划恢复进口美国牛肉。

Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the street and blocked main traffic thoroughfares on an almost nightly basis, recently, to condemn the import plan. They maintain that American beef poses a risk of transmitting the fatal brain condition known as "mad cow disease."

最近，成千上万的人几乎每个晚上都上街游行，堵住交通要道，抗议政府的进口计划。他们坚持认为美国牛肉有传播疯牛病的风险。

Their insistence on that danger has been fueled by numerous factors: sympathy with struggling South Korean cattle farmers; anger at South Korean President Lee Myung-bak; an undercurrent of anti-American nationalism; and a tornado of Internet rumors about U.S. beef, ranging from the humorous to the hysterical.

这些人坚持这种看法出于几个因素：一是同情韩国那些苦苦挣扎的肉牛养殖户，二是表达对韩国总统李明博的不满，三是反美民族主义情绪，另外就是因特网上有关美国牛肉的各种谣传，有幽默的，也有非常不着边的。

The one thing that has failed to back these very vocal protests in any significant way is hard science. One U.S. animal was found to have mad cow disease, in 2003. However, out of hundreds of millions of consumers, there has never been a single known case of mad cow-style brain infection resulting from eating American beef.

虽然抗议活动声浪很高，但是并没有多少科学依据。2003年，一只美国牛被发现有疯牛病，但是，亿万消费者当中，从来没有过一例由于吃美国牛肉而引发的人类感染疯牛病的病例。

It was this absence of scientifically proven risk Ambassador Vershbow was referencing in his comments Tuesday night, made after his meeting with South Korea's Foreign Minister.

美国大使弗什鲍星期二晚间会见韩国外交通商部长官之后所说的话，指的就是没有科学依据这一点。

"We hope that Koreans will begin to learn more about the science and about the facts of American beef and that this issue can be addressed constructively," Vershbow said. "Clearly there is a lot of work ahead in getting people to pay more attention to the science and to the facts of the matter."

弗什鲍说：“我们希望韩国人多学一点科学，多了解一点有关美国牛肉的事实，这个问题能够以建设性的方式解决。显然，为了让人们更关注科学和事实，还有很多工作要做。”

U.S. officials in Seoul have since clarified Vershbow's remark, saying the work ahead is to be done not by Koreans, but by American officials in raising public awareness of U.S. beef safety.

美国驻韩国官员随后澄清了弗什鲍大使这番话的涵义，说更多的工作不是由韩国人来做，而是美国官员需要努力让公众更加了解美国牛肉是安全的。

The angry response of South Korean liberal politicians illustrates how emotionally charged the battle lines over this issue have become. Lawmakers from a minority far-left party stood outside the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Wednesday, demanding Vershbow apologize - warning if he does not, he might be kept out of the country, just like American beef.

从韩国自由派政治人士的反应当中，可以看出这个问题在韩国的敏感性。星期三，韩国一个极左派少数党的代表聚在美国驻首尔大使馆前面，要求弗什鲍大使道歉，并警告说，假如他不道歉的话，就会像美国牛肉一样，被拒之于韩国的国门之外。