So we asked the AP. They told us the selection process occurred over multiple meetings last fall. Present at the meetings were* the AP's Jean H. Lee, David Guttenfelder, Asia editor Brian Carovillano and Asia photo editor Greg Baker, explained media relations director Paul Colford. The North Korean government provided a pool of candidates to select from and among those was Pak. "We selected him for his current role among news-gatherers who were available," said Colford, who noted that Kim was selected in a similar fashion. "We met him, we considered him very carefully, and he works under the supervision of Jean H. Lee and other AP editors."

If the hiring of a reporter who was part of the late Kim Jong Il's propaganda machine sounds like a tough trade-off for operating in the country, that's because it surely is. On the flip side, the AP argues that having zero Western bureaus in the country would mean even less information coming from North Korea. Another factor to keep in mind is the promise of an expanded bureau in the future.

"With the opening of our bureau in January, we're hopeful that we'll be able to grow and deepen our news report from North Korea in the months and years to come," said Colford. As it stands, he emphasized that the work produced by Pak and his colleague is vetted thoroughly. "All news gatherers working for the AP around the world, especially those new to our staff, are scrupulously and rigorously edited according to our high standards of accuracy and fairness," he said.

To be sure, the bureau's work has paid off. In the months since its been open, the team has produced a series of intriguing exclusives. Earlier this month, the AP was able to shed light on Pyongyang's food-for-nukes deal before it was unveiled. Days later, photographer Kim Kwang Hyon was given access to military exercises at a base on North Korea's southwest coast, to which there are a number of intriguing photographs. In February, the AP's Jean H. Lee captured an angle on China's efforts to bring Western-style commerce to North Korea. The piece, which Pak Won Il contributed to, detailed Pyongyang's version of a Wal-Mart complete with Pantene shampoo and Pabst Blue Ribbon.

The obvious question is whether a reporter trained in the business of propaganda can be trusted to deliver fair-minded reportage. Colford notes that the AP's editors "work closely" with Kim and Pak. While press critics will ultimately decide how objective the reporting is over time, at least at this point, its stories seem to pass the smell test.

*The original version of this story said executive editor Kathleen Carroll and senior managing editor for international news and photos John Daniszewski participated in hiring the North Korean staffers instead of Lee, Guttenfelder and Baker. The AP has said the original information they provided us was incorrect. Additionally, the original version of this story mistakenly stated that Foreign Policy first revealed the names of the AP's North Korea staffers. The AP released the reporters' names in January.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.