朝鮮將派名義上的國家元首出席韓國冬奧會

North Korea will send its ceremonial head of state to the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in South Korea this week, bolstering hopes in Seoul of a diplomatic breakthrough on the peninsula.

本周，朝鮮將派出其禮儀性的國家元首出席韓國冬奧會(Winter Olympics)開幕式，這提振了首爾方面在半島問題上取得外交突破的希望。

Kim Yong Nam — nominally the North’s number 2 leader after Kim Jong Un — will lead a “high-level delegation” to the Pyeongchang Games, North Korean state media reported on Monday.

朝鮮官方媒體周一報道稱，朝鮮名義上僅排在金正恩(Kim Jong Un)之后的“二號”領(lǐng)導人金永南(Kim Yong Nam，文首圖右)將率領(lǐng)一個“高級別的代表團”出席平昌奧運會。

The move comes amid a period of detente between Pyongyang and Seoul, which hopes the North’s participation in the games can lay a foundation for eased tensions and diplomatic engagement on the peninsula.

此舉正值朝韓兩國關(guān)系處于緩和期。首爾方面希望，朝鮮參加本屆奧運會能為緩和半島緊張和推進外交接觸奠定基礎(chǔ)。

However, the initiative by Moon Jae-in, South Korea’s president, has been met with scepticism at home and abroad.

然而，韓國總統(tǒng)文在寅(Moon Jae-in)的這一舉措在國內(nèi)外都遭到了質(zhì)疑。

The differences between Seoul and Washington — allies for more than 70 years — could be laid bare at the opening ceremony on Friday.

作為70多年來的盟友，韓國和美國之間的分歧可能會在本周五的冬奧會開幕式上暴露出來。

Analysts believe Seoul will attempt to orchestrate a meeting between the top US delegate, vice-president Mike Pence, and the North Korean delegation in a bid to promote dialogue between the two adversaries.

分析人士認為，首爾方面將試圖安排出席本屆奧運會的美方最高代表美國副總統(tǒng)邁克•彭斯(Mike Pence)與朝鮮代表團會面，推動這兩個彼此對立的國家展開對話。

That possibility, however, now looks fraught after an aide to Mr Pence told US media that the vice-president would use the ceremony to “remind the world that everything the North Koreans do at the Olympics is a charade”.

但在彭斯的一名助手告訴美國媒體副總統(tǒng)將利用開幕式“提醒世界，朝鮮人在奧運會上所做的一切都是在做戲”之后，這一可能性現(xiàn)在看起來很暗淡。

The South Korean presidential Blue House said the inclusion of Kim Yong Nam in the North’s delegation appeared to indicate Pyongyang’s “sincerity” towards rapprochement. It said Mr Moon was considering a one-on-one meeting with Mr Kim.

韓國總統(tǒng)府青瓦臺(Blue House)表示，金永南加入朝鮮代表團似乎表明，平壤方面對于和解是“真誠的”。青瓦臺表示，文在寅在考慮與金永南展開一對一會晤。

The 90-year-old is officially president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly of North Korea. Despite being nominally second in the regime’s hierarchy, his role is mostly ceremonial and he has little in the way of real power.

金永南現(xiàn)年90歲，官方職務是朝鮮最高人民會議常任委員會委員長。盡管他在朝鮮政權(quán)的等級架構(gòu)中名義上排名第二，但他的職務主要是禮儀性的、并不掌握多少實權(quán)。