North Korea heads for diplomacy gold medal at Olympics - analysts

South Korean President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, in Seoul, South Korea in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) February 10, 2018. KCNA/via REUTERS

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Reuters) - North Korea has emerged as the early favourite to grab one of the Winter Olympics' most important medals: the diplomatic gold.

That is the assessment of a former South Korean government minister and political experts who say the North has used the Games to drive a wedge between South Korea and its U.S. ally and to potentially ease pressure on its sanctions-crippled state.