In many supermarkets across South Korea, one item has conspicuously vanished from shelves: salt.

 在韩国各地的许多家超市，有一种商品突然从货架上消失了，这个商品就是——盐。

 For the past month, the country has struggled with severe sea salt shortages as shoppers snap it up in bulk, reflecting heightened public anxiety ahead of the planned release of treated radioactive water from Fukushima, Japan.

 在过去的一个月里，由于消费者大量抢购海盐，该国一直在解决严重的海盐短缺问题，这反映了日本在计划排放福岛核废水之前加剧了韩国民众的焦虑心情。

 Japanese authorities and the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog agency have insisted that the plan is safe, meets international standards and matches what nuclear plants do around the world, including those in the United States. The treated contaminated water will be highly diluted and released gradually into the Pacific Ocean over many years.

 日本政府和联合国核监督机构坚持认为，该排放计划是安全的，符合国际标准，并与包括美国在内的世界各地核电站的做法相同。经过处理的污染水将被高度稀释，并在多年后逐渐释放到太平洋。

 The move is necessary to finally decommission the Fukushima nuclear plant, which melted down in 2011 following Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, authorities say. The government has said the wastewater release will begin this summer, though it has not specified a date.

 日本政府表示，此举对于最终退役福岛核电站是必要的，该核电站在2011年日本毁灭性的地震和海啸后发生核泄漏。政府已经表示，废水将在今年夏天开始排放，但具体日期还未定。

 But these assurances have so far failed to alleviate concerns in neighboring nations like South Korea, where fishermen say their livelihoods are at risk and residents are stockpiling food items for fear of contamination, and China, which has banned food imports from some regions in Japan.

 但这些保证迄今未能减缓韩国等邻国的担忧，韩国渔民说他们的生计受到威胁，居民因担心污染而囤积食品，而中国则禁止从日本的一些地区进口食品。

When CNN visited a supermarket in the South Korean capital Seoul, the shelves are well-stocked with seasonings ranging from garlic powder to chili paste — except for an empty gap where salt used to sit. A sign nearby read: “Salt out of stock. There’s been a delay in getting salt due to our partners’ situation. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

 当CNN访问韩国首都首尔的一家超市时，货架上堆满了从大蒜粉到辣椒酱的各种调味品，唯独以前放盐的货架空空如也。旁边的一个牌子上写着：“食盐缺货。由于合作商的缘由，盐不能及时供应。我们对您造成的不便表示歉意。”

 Shoppers have even started hoarding other sea-based dietary staples like seaweed and anchovies, Reuters reported in June, citing Korean social media.

 路透社在6月援引韩国社交媒体报道说，消费者甚至开始囤积其他海鲜，如海带和凤尾鱼。

 The shortages were so acute that the government was forced to release sea salt from its official reserves to stabilize salt prices, which have soared more than 40% since April, according to the country’s salt manufacturing association. The government also claims poor weather has impacted salt production and played a role in the price jump.

 据韩国盐业生产协会称，食盐短缺问题如此严重，韩国政府被迫从官方储备中发行海盐以稳定盐价，自4月以来盐价已飙升超过40%。政府还声称，恶劣的天气影响了盐的生产，推动食盐价格上涨。

 “The public doesn’t have to worry about the sea salt supply as the amount of salt provided for June and July will be about 120,000 tons, which is above the average annual production,” the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said last month. “We ask the public to purchase only the amount you need when buying sea salt.”

“公众不必担心食盐的供应问题，因为6月和7月提供的食盐数量约为12万吨，高于平均年产量，”海洋和渔业部上个月表示。“我们要求公众在购买海盐时，仅购买需要的数量”。

• conspicuous [kənˈspɪkjuəs]：显眼的，引人注目的

• radioactive [ˌreɪdioʊˈæktɪv]：放射性的

• dilute [daɪˈluːt]：（使）稀释; 削弱，降低

• decommission [ˌdikəˈmɪʃən]：使退役

• stockpile [ˈstɑkpaɪl]：大量贮备

编辑：ETTBL

翻译：Shaw Henry

材料来源：CNN

*配图取自网络，仅供学习分享使用，侵删