卫星夜景图上的朝鲜无边黑暗 与韩国两个世界

One of the most stunning--and revealing--photos ever taken of North Korea was a 2002 satellite image of the peninsula at night, shown by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in a Pentagon briefing.

2002年某个夜晚的朝鲜半岛卫星图片是迄今为止拍下来的最令外界震惊、也最能说明朝鲜问题的图片之一。美国国防部长拉姆斯菲尔德(Donald Rumsfeld)在五角大楼的吹风会上拿出了这张图片。

The photo showed the lights of South Korean conurbations, and even large clusters of fishing boats, in stark contrast to an almost entirely black North Korea. Other than a small spot of light in the showcase capital Pyongyang and the outline of the country, North Korea wouldn't have been visible at all.

从图片上不仅可以看到韩国大都市灯火通明，甚至还能看到大量渔船的灯光。相比之下，朝鲜几乎一片黑暗。除了国家轮廓依稀可辨以及首都平壤有少许光亮之外，朝鲜在图片上几乎完全不可见。

'South Korea is filled with lights and energy and vitality and a booming economy; North Korea is dark. It is a tragedy what's being done in that country,' Mr. Rumsfeld said.

拉姆斯菲尔德说，韩国灯火通明，充满能量和活力，让人觉得这是一个朝气蓬勃的经济体，而朝鲜则是一片黑暗，这个国家正在做的事其实是个悲剧。

Fast forward to 2014, and North Korea remains cloaked in blackness. In a new photo released by NASA on Monday and dated Jan. 30, the contrast between the bright lights across South Korea and a few dim spots in the North is, if anything, more pronounced. That may be because of the better resolution picture but it shows more light across South Korea, particularly in rural areas.

进入2014年，朝鲜仍笼罩在黑暗之中。美国国家航空航天局(NASA)周一发布了一张拍摄日期为1月30日的新图片，从中可以看到韩国各地灯光璀璨，朝鲜则只有一些稀稀拉拉、昏暗无力的亮点，对比甚至更明显了。这也许是因为该图片的分辨率较高，可以看到的韩国灯光比以前更多了，特别是在农村地区。

Pyongyang is still visible, along with a few faint spots in other cities like Wonsan on the east coast, but very little else.

在这张图片上仍可以看到平壤，朝鲜东海岸的元山(Wonsan)等城市也有一点模糊的光亮，但其他地方则是无尽的黑暗。

'The darkened land appears as if it were a patch of water joining the Yellow Sea to the Sea of Japan. Its capital city, Pyongyang, appears like a small island, despite a population of 3.26 million (as of 2008),' NASA said in a statement issued with the photo.

NASA在发布这张图片时说，那片黑暗的土地看起来就像是一块连接着黄海和日本海的水域，朝鲜首都平壤看起来像是个小岛，尽管该市有326万人口（截至2008年的数据）。

'These differences are illustrated in per capita power consumption in the two countries, with South Korea at 10,162 kilowatt hours and North Korea at 739 kilowatt hours,' it says.

NASA说，这些差异可从两国人均能耗数据上得到说明，韩国人均电力消费量10,162千瓦时，朝鲜只有739千瓦时。

Under current leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea has been touting progress in urban construction and large-scale development projects like a ski resort, but its power supply remains highly unreliable, with regular blackouts.

在现任领导人金正恩(Kim Jong Un)的领导下，朝鲜一直高调宣传该国在城市建设和滑雪度假村等大规模开发项目方面取得的进展，但朝鲜的电力供应仍相当不可靠，会定期停电。

Pyongyang says economic progress is one of its main policy goals. but without major reforms that would likely threaten the grip of its regime, it's hard to see the next satellite photo showing a much different scene.

平壤表示，经济发展是朝鲜的主要政策目标之一。但若没有大刀阔斧的改革措施（此举或威胁朝鲜当局对政权的控制），在下一张卫星图片上应该还是很难看到一个“明亮”的朝鲜。