韩国担心辐射雨 学校停课

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.

星期四韩国普遍降雨导致一些学校停课。很多家长担心孩子淋到含有放射性物质的雨水。韩国当局表示，即便雨水中可能有一些放射性物质，也不会对人体构成威胁。尽管如此，人们仍然对核辐射深感担忧。

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

韩国一些学校因担心雨水中含有放射性微尘而宣布停课。

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

位于韩国西北部的京畿道，125个幼儿园和小学让孩子们放假一天。

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.

京畿道教育厅发一位言人说，已经通知了当地所有教育机构都要限制户外活动，但是否停课，由各校校长自行决定。

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.

这位发言人说，他们没有因放射性微尘的问题而决定关闭学校，因为辐射风险很小。不过他解释说，因为家长表达了强烈的关切，因此校方决定减轻家长的担忧。

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.

首尔的教育部门负责人拒绝宣布让学校停课并呼吁保持镇静。然而首都地区的一些家长表示他们没有送孩子上学是因为担心雨水中含有放射性物质。

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

韩国其它地方的学校提前放学，取消了包括体育运动在内的各项户外活动。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.

韩国总理办公室和政府其它机构说，即使雨水中含有少量幅射物，其含量也微乎其微，不至引发任何健康方面的关切。

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.

韩国公众感到担心是因为此前韩国核安全研究所的报告说，在韩国南部的济州岛外的雨水中探测到少量的放射性碘和铯。

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.

与此同时，李明博总统要求加强进口食品的放射水平检测。李明博在视察韩国食品药物管理局时说，韩国离日本很近，人们自然会感到担忧。受损的日本福岛核电厂距离朝鲜半岛东部仅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.

韩国和中国都对日本在向太平洋倾倒受损核电厂含放射性污水之前，没有及时向邻国通报相关信息表示不满。日本政府发言人对此表示道歉。

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.

日本东北地区的福岛核电厂3月11号遭受了高达9级的地震和由此引发的海啸的袭击。负责运营这家核电厂 的“东京电力公司”星期四开始向受损最为严重的一个核反应堆注入氮气，希望以此防止再次发生氢气爆炸。