The scene
Diplomatic tensions grip the Korean peninsula in the run-up to the Pyeongchang Olympics. Nuclear-armed North Korea even threatens war.
The action
Ties thaw as North Korea agrees to send a delegation to take part in the Games, featuring a historic joint ice hockey team and busloads of female cheerleaders sent from the North. The latest in a series of Olympics where politics took centre stage.
AFP's network
The agency put a multimedia team (text, photo, video) on 24-hour North Korea watch, focusing on the diplomatic drama but also the human side of a major geopolitical story.With the team filing from the ground in Pyeongchang, AFP's worldwide network clicks into gear. Offices in Washington, Seoul, Pyongyang, Beijing, and Tokyo supply behind-the-scenes views and analysis of the strategic moves by major players with geopolitical context.
The success of a long-term strategy
Whether it is the FIFA financial scandal, Qatar's soft-power push or Russia's State-sponsored doping controversy, AFP delivers complex sports stories in simple and accurate terms. Away from the stadiums, the biggest stories are often the political ones.
