根据美国媒体的一则报道，朝鲜的一艘潜艇下落不明，或已沉没。而一篇和美国军方有密切关联的文章指出，这艘潜艇消失时已经在朝鲜海岸执行任务数日。
A North Korean submarine is missing and presumed sunk, according to reports in the US media. The vessel was operating off the North Korean coast for several days when it disappeared, a paper with close links to the US military says.
这起事故发生之时正值该地区局势紧张之际，韩国和美国正进行他们有史以来最大型的联合军事演习。与此同时，朝鲜也对该军事演习发出了战争威胁。朝鲜方面表示，一旦发现任何入侵迹象，他们会随时准备进行先发制人的报复打击。
The accident comes at a time of heightened tension in the region as South Korea and the US continue their largest-ever military exercise. North Korea has issued another threat of war over the drill. It said it was prepared to launch a pre-emptive strike in response to any sign that an invasion was being prepared.
根据美国海军学院杂志报道，政府官员表示，美国海军正在监视这艘潜艇的时候，它就突然消失了。该报道还指出，朝鲜军队拥有70艘大小不一的潜艇。
According to the US Naval Institute journal, officials said the US Navy was tracking the submarine when it suddenly disappeared. It says the North Korean military operates a fleet of about 70 submarines ranging in sizes.
根据CNN的报道，美军已对朝鲜海军进行监视并搜寻失踪的潜艇。BBC韩国通讯记者史蒂芬·埃文斯表示，朝鲜在东部海岸有两个朝向日本的潜艇基地，这艘潜艇应该在这些基地附近工作。
The US military had observed the North Korean navy searching for the missing submarine, CNN reports. BBC Korea correspondent Stephen Evans says North Korea has two submarine bases on the eastern coast, facing Japan, and the submarine was thought to have been operating near these bases.
如果这艘潜艇已沉没，目前尚无法判断它的故障是否和现在南北对峙的局面有关。在一月份朝鲜进行核试验之后，该地区的安全局势日趋紧张。
If the North Korean submarine has sunk, it is not known if its difficulties were connected to the current stand-off between North and South, our reporter says. Security tensions have increased since the North tested a nuclear device in January.