Earlier this year, David Guttenfelder, chief Asia photographer for the Associated Press, along with Jean H. Lee, AP bureau chief in Seoul, were granted unprecedented access to parts of North Korea. The pair made visits to famous sites accompanied by government minders. They were also allowed to travel into the countryside accompanied by North Korean journalists instead of government officials. Though much of what the AP team saw was certainly orchestrated, their access was still remarkable.
Read MoreThe Atlantic: Inside North Korea →
Foreign Policy: Will the AP's New Pyongyang Bureau be Allowed to do Real Reporting
The Associated Press announced this week that it had reached an agreement with the Korean Central News Agency to set up a bureau in Pyongyang. This would make it the "first permanent text and photo bureau operated by a Western news organization in the North Korean capital (AP Television News has had a Pyongyang bureau for the last five years):
Read MoreThe contract signed this week designates AP as the exclusive distributor of contemporary and historic video from KCNA’s archive, providing a new source of video content from North Korea to AP’s members and customers around the world.
Poytner: AP to Open Bureau in North Korea →
The Associated Press says it's reached agreements with the North Central News Agency, including one to open an AP news bureau in Pyongyang. AP says it would be the first permanent text and photo bureau operated by a Western news organization in the North Korean capital. The second memo of understanding outlines cooperation on journalistic and photo/video technology issues, including a joint photo exhibition by the two agencies in New York next year.
Read MoreHuffington Post: Associated Press Opening North Korea Bureau →
North Korea, a totalitarian country ranked near the bottom in the world on the press freedom index, presents one of the toughest challenges for journalists.
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