美聯社在朝鮮設立分社

The Associated Press has opened a bureau in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, becoming the first international news organization with a full-time presence to cover news from the reclusive nation in words, pictures and videos. AP opened the office Monday, after almost a year of negotiations and less than a month after the death of longtime ruler Kim Jong Il. AP President and CEO Tom Curley says the organization's newest bureau allows the news agency to "document the people, places and politics" of North Korea across all media platforms at a "critical moment in its history." Curley says the Pyongyang bureau will operate under the same standards and practices as AP bureaus worldwide.

The bureau expands AP's presence in North Korea, which has remained largely off-limits to international journalists. In 2006, AP was the first international news organization to open a video bureau in Pyongyang. The president of the state-run Korean Central News Agency said Monday the opening of the AP office was "significant." AP's North Korean office will be staffed by two natives of North Korea who will be supervised by two American journalists with broad international experience. The Americans will also train local reporters.美聯社在朝鮮首都平壤開設分社，成爲第一個從這個與世隔絕的國家以文字、圖片和影像專職報道新聞的國際通訊機構。美聯社平壤分社星期一成立，距離朝鮮長期執政的領導人金正日去世不到一個月時間。此前曾經歷了大約一年的談判。美聯社社長兼首席執行官湯姆·柯利說，分社將讓美聯社在朝鮮的“關鍵歷史時刻”以跨媒體平臺的方式記錄下這個國家的“人民、地方和政治”。柯利說，平壤分社將按美聯社全球分社的相同標準操作。

分社的建立擴大了美聯社在朝鮮的工作。朝鮮仍然禁止大部分國際記者進駐。2006年，美聯社成爲第一個在平壤開設影像部門的國際新聞機構。朝鮮中央通訊社社長星期一說，美聯社開設分社“意義重大”。美聯社朝鮮分社由兩名朝鮮當地人任職，兩名有豐富國際經驗的美國記者將監管他們的工作。這兩名美國人還將訓練當地記者。