This operation has exposed a group which was once in the shadows and put it firmly in a legal spotlight where it may not want to be. The political group Free Joseon, which is opposed to the incumbent Kim Jong-un government of North Korea, is alleged to have attacked and raided the embassy, while the group maintains that they were invited in to facilitate a high-level defection. The others had already been invited in when I arrived. The North Korean embassy break-in in Madrid was “a grave terrorist attack,” according to a spokesperson from the North Korean Foreign Ministry. In the Cold War era its foreign policy was focused on the Soviet bloc countries, while it actively courted allies in the developing world. The political group Free Joseon, which is opposed to the incumbent Kim Jong-un government of North Korea, is alleged to have attacked and raided the embassy, while the group maintains that they were invited in to facilitate a high-level defection. The consular section shares location as well as telephone number and email address with the embassy. ", "Group says it did North Korean embassy raid", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Embassy_of_North_Korea,_Madrid&oldid=1021800429, North Korean building and structure stubs, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 6 May 2021, at 19:10. [16], In contrast to early speculation, according to investigative journalist Suki Kim who had been investigating Free Joseon for over a year, the group has been at odds with intelligence agencies such as the CIA, which intervened against Cheollima Civil Defense's efforts to protect Kim Han Sol and escort him to safety following the assassination of his father in 2017. The others had already been invited in when I arrived. Adrian Hong, who allegedly led an attack on North Korea's embassy in Madrid, is a longtime US-based advocate of regime change in Pyongyang whose sources of financial support are murky. Neighbors reported hearing a woman’s screams, but the embassy … [11] The compound is in the middle of a patch of open land that has remained undeveloped because it assists natural drainage for the area. [15] The group also denied weapons or violence had been used in the incident. [21] El Confidencial said if the CIA's involvement was proven, it would have been working with other western intelligence agencies. The raid represents the most ambitious operation to date for an obscure organization that seeks to undermine the North Korean regime and encourage mass defections. [9] It is possible that the attache may have been among those ho requested a staged assault to facilitate his own defection [19], A Korean[20] female member of staff, Cho Sun Hi[13]—who lived in the embassy with her husband[13]—hid in a second-floor room and locked the door. The Spanish privately briefed the media that they suspected but could not prove Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) involvement because the attack was professional in its precision. Ten suspects were alleged to have broken into the North Korean embassy in Madrid, Spain with fake handguns drawn, tying up diplomatic staff and stealing computers, the El Pais daily said. [8] Although persona non-grata in Spain, Kim returned to the DPRK to become one of the architects of Kim Jong-un's diplomacy with the US, including the failed Vietnam summit. Free Joseon said the media coverage amounted to a "betrayal of trust" and a "breach of confidentiality". Last month, an armed group attacked embassy … [2] They collected most of the embassy's electronic equipment, including computers, mobile telephones, hard drives[14] and pen drives. [16][note 2] Ten masked individuals,[8][2] all but one of whom were below the age of 30,[15] were subsequently described as being Asian in appearance and speaking Korean. A view of North Korea's embassy in Madrid on Thursday, February 28. [13] Spanish government sources acknowledged that even if their suspicions about CIA involvement were accurate it would be difficult to prove the allegations in court. In February 2001 Spain and North Korea established diplomatic relations. On February 22, I approached the front gate of the North Korean embassy in Madrid. ", "Group seeking to overthrow Kim behind North Korea embassy raid in Spain: Washington Post", "U.S. Government Had Nothing to Do With Raid at North Korea's Madrid Embassy: State Department", "North Korea calls Madrid embassy raid 'grave terrorist attack,' demands investigation", "Spain investigates alleged attack on North Korean embassy in Madrid", "Police believe 10 men with imitation firearms assaulted North Korean embassy", "Asalto a la embajada de Corea: Policía y CNI sospechan del servicio secreto de EEUU", "CIA implicated in attack on North Korean embassy in Madrid", "La Policía encontró un arsenal en la embajada de Corea del Norte", "A shadowy group trying to overthrow Kim Jong Un allegedly raided a North Korean embassy in broad daylight", "Mystery group linked to North Korean embassy break-in says "major event" coming", "What to make of a mysterious break-in at the North Korean embassy in Madrid", "Spain Investigates Possible Attack at North Korean Embassy", "Free Joseon handed over stolen data to FBI", "Spain not satisfied with CIA answers on embassy attack", "Spain says leader of North Korea embassy raid contacted FBI", "A tale of daring, violence and intrigue from a North Korea embassy", "Joseon Youth previously recruiting "field agents," with positions open to 16-34 year olds", "Was North Korea's vital 'transformation computer' taken in raid on Madrid embassy? The respective governments made no public comment on the incident until Spanish daily newspaper El País reported that at least two of the perpetrators had links to the CIA. [2][note 5] Anonymous Spanish government officials, however, reported in El País, stated that they were not convinced by the CIA's claim. [7] These cars were later established to be embassy vehicles[8] with diplomatic numberplates;[6] they were found abandoned a few streets away hours later[11][2] and were removed for forensic examination. [11] The police's difficulty in understanding Sun Hi was compounded by a head injury she had sustained. The only suspect apprehended for a brazen raid on the North Korean embassy in Madrid in 2019 claimed the incident was staged in collaboration with a diplomat inside the mission trying to defect. Inside the bizarre, bungled raid on North Korea's Madrid embassy – podcast Read more Now the visitor had returned, claiming he had a gift for the embassy’s senior official, So Yun-sok. [citation needed] This was more out of political necessity, as North Korea competed with the South Korea for diplomatic recognition. A group of 10 assailants reportedly broke into North Korea's embassy in Madrid in February. Chang. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it. S panish investigators believe that two assailants who broke into the North Korean embassy in Madrid last month and took hostages have links … The consular section shares location as well as telephone number and email address with the embassy. Hong Chang had an Uber account in the name of Oswaldo Trump, and an Italian driving licence as Matthew Chao. [20] Although officially they only acknowledged "something happened",[20] political espionage was recognised early in the investigation as a possible motive. A Spanish National Police car is seen outside the North Korea's embassy in Madrid Credit: Reuters A ccording to a Spanish judge, the group entered … The embassy of the Republic of Korea in Madrid is located at Calle González Amigó, 15 and can be contacted by telephone on 91 353 2000 as well as by email embspain.adm@mofa.go.kr. Rather, the group asserts that it was invited in by some undisclosed number of embassy staffers who wished to defect. “The world is reporting on the attack on the North Korean embassy in Madrid, but North Korea has been keeping quiet over the incident for a month," Mr Thae said in his blog. A group comprised of at least two members with links to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) used violence against diplomatic staff during a break-in at North Korea's embassy in Madrid last month, a source with knowledge of Spain's investigation and legal documents suggested on Wednesday. March 15, 2019 at 4:39 p.m. UTC. [2] They may have congregated on the open land outside the embassy, which would have attracted less attention than loitering near the front entrance, on a main road. The police said this would explain the precision of the attackers; the paper pointed to other occasions in which North Korea had attacked its own diplomatic staff, such as the former North Korean ambassador to Rome who had disappeared in January 2018. [21] They also said their embassy staff had been tortured,[3] and the DPRK summoned their ambassadors to Russia, the United States and the United Nations back to Pyongyang. [8][10], At a news briefing, Robert Palladino[31] of the US State Department denied any involvement in the alleged raid by any part of the government. [10], Sources whom the Washington Post described as "familiar with the incident"[2] denied the involvement of intelligence agencies, however, saying they would have been unwilling to involve themselves in such a high-profile incident at a critical juncture in US–DPRK relations. [13] The statement also denied anyone had been beaten or gagged. North Korean Embassy in Madrid incident has been listed as one of the Social sciences and society good articles under the good article criteria. Free Joseon failed to gain immunity from prosecution for its members who had been involved in the incident;[14] journalist Laura Bicker notes that Hong Chang is "undoubtedly a wanted man" by the Spanish High Court and probably by Pyongyang. North Korea urged Sunday a probe into an attack on its embassy in Madrid last month allegedly carried out by a dissident group, AFP reported, citing official KCNA news agency. [1], Free Joseon—also known as Cheollima Civil Defense—the group alleged to have carried out the attack, has been described by the Washington Post as a "secretive dissident organization" and a "shadowy group trying to overthrow Kim Jong-un",[2] whose government they claim to be an "immoral and illegitimate regime". [16] They also brought balaclavas, a 3.8-metre (12 ft) telescopic ladder[13] and 33 rolls of double-sided tape with them. [citation needed] As of 2019, Yun Suk-so remains the highest ranking diplomatic official, with the title of Commercial Attaché.[2]. [citation needed] This was more out of political necessity, as North Korea competed with the South Korea for diplomatic recognition. [8] Two staff members later required medical attention,[8] mainly as a result of bruising from multiple, heavy blows. MADRID (Reuters) - A group of unidentified men entered North Korea’s embassy in Madrid last Friday, bound and gagged staff, and drove off four hours later with computers, according to … [10] The group carried what appeared to be replica firearms,[8] metal bars, machetes and knives. Likewise, the South Korean intelligence services would likely oppose a group such as Free Joseon given the South Korean government's non-recognition of North Korean sovereignty in its constitution.[33]. [31] NBC News said it was unclear whether the Spanish authority's own investigation had revealed the identities of those involved or whether the US had passed them the information. Spanish judge plans to request the extradition from the United States of members of a group he suspects of forcing their way into the North Korean embassy in Madrid … [26], Following their escape, the group split into four groups and made their ways to Portugal[9] and then to the US. A North Korean official on Sunday called for Spanish authorities to carry out a full investigation into what they described as the "grave terrorist attack" on the country's embassy in Madrid last month.. The Cheollima Civil Defense said in its statement that revealing the identity of its members could put them in danger. [9] This had occurred two weeks earlier when Hong Chang, using the alias Matthew Chao, managing partner of a fictional company Baron Stone Capital, had a brief meeting with Yuk So regarding the possibility of the company investing in the DPRK. List of diplomatic missions of North Korea, "North Korea: Northeast Asia's New Tourism Hub? A group calling itself the Cheollima Civil Defense (CCD) says it was behind a raid on the North Korean embassy in the Spanish capital Madrid last month in … [13] by the FBI,[14] which they said had requested their intelligence and had been given it voluntarily. In September 2017 he was expelled as a persona non grata after a North Korean nuclear weapon's test on 3 September 2017. [16], A further two members of the group were subsequently named; Sam Ryu, a US citizen and Woo Ran Lee from South Korea. [10], Meanwhile, the group ransacked the building,[13] filming themselves as they did so. [13] It was later established that in "police chat groups", Sun Hi's mental stability had been questioned. [21] Investigators said the gang must have been responsible for lowering the power and dimming the street lights in the road at the front of the embassy; other security systems around the building were also found to have been neutralised. MADRID — An armed group attacked the North Korean Embassy in Madrid last month and then fled. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The 10 people who allegedly raided the North Korean Embassy in Madrid last month belong to a mysterious dissident organization that styles itself as a government-in-exile dedicated to toppling the ruling Kim family dynasty in North Korea. [13][note 3] The group took all of the stolen electronic equipment with them. [2] When the police arrived, they had difficulty in understanding Sun Hi, who spoke no Spanish. Investigators reportedly believe operation was planned perfectly, as if by a ‘military cell’ MADRID, SPAIN - MARCH 27: A placard at the entrance to the North Korean Embassy reads 'Embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the Kingdom of Spain' on March 27, 2019 in Madrid… In the Cold War era its foreign policy was focused on the Soviet bloc countries, while it actively courted allies in the developing world. [2], The DPRK's embassy in Madrid, located at 43 Darío Aparicio[6]in the quiet,[7] affluent northern suburb of Aravaca,[8] consists of a two-story[9] "luxurious villa"[10] with a swimming pool[9] and is surrounded by pine trees. [10], The previous DPRK Ambassador to Spain Kim Hyok-chol had been expelled by the Spanish Government in September 2017 in response to North Korea's continued testing of nuclear missiles in defiance of the international community. [13], On 14 March, El Mundo reported that at about midnight on 22 February, Spanish police had surrounded the embassy compound and blocked all of the approaches. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Known as the "transformation computer", Yong-ho said to the DPRK leadership it was "considered more important than human lives" due to the perception that its code was unbreakable. [23] Obtaining private information on Kim Hyok-chol,[21]who has been described as "a natural target" for those interested in the DPRK's nuclear program,[24] and information on North Korea's re-armament program[22] may have been the purpose of the attack. [9] They also questioned him intensively about Hyok Chol's affairs while he had been resident;[10] eventually they left him tied up in the basement. In February 2001 Spain and North Korea established diplomatic relations. [6] Witnesses suggested the members were South Korean. Spanish investigators have reportedly linked the CIA to an attack on the North Korean embassy in Madrid last month. North Korea: Group behind embassy 'raid' in Madrid held staff hostage, court documents show. [13], Once Hong had been admitted to the building, the remaining members of the group allegedly burst in after him;[9] it is possible Hong let them in himself[16] as he waited on an interior patio[13] for the attaché to appear. The suspected perpetrators are citizens of Mexico, the US and South Korea, although the latter two governments denied any connection with the incident. On 1 October 2013, Kim Hyok-chol became the first DPRK ambassador in Spain when his country opened its new embassy in Madrid. He also accused de la Mata of irresponsibility in releasing the names of individuals engaged in "opposition to a brutal regime that routinely and summarily executes its enemies". [2] Diplomatic law forbids police from entering the premises without authorisation from the head of the mission, which was not to be gained, so they kept watch outside[13] and set up a security perimeter. [11] The woman told police "a group of men have entered the embassy and gagged the staff". [10] According to El País, since the previous ambassador Kim Hyok-chol was expelled in 2017, only one diplomat and two assistants with their immediate families living a relatively "spartan" existence were resident at the time of the attack. Free Joseon has denied allegations that this incident was a break-in raid of the compound, and accusations of being directed by foreign intelligence services. [6] The group appears to have focused primarily on the attaché, whom they tried to persuade to defect and then assaulted when he refused. North Korea embassy in Madrid 'raided by mystery assailants who gagged staff before escaping with stolen computers' Woman reportedly screaming in Korean … The North Korean embassy in Madrid. Investigators from the Spanish police and National Intelligence Center (CNI) have linked an attack on the North Korean embassy in Madrid on February 22 to … In 2003, plans to open a diplomatic mission were halted due to North Korea's withdrawal from Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty. CIA 'linked' to North Korea embassy break-in: Two members of gang that entered building in Madrid, tied up staff and stole computers, 'are connected to US intelligence agency' [citation needed] This was more out of political necessity, as North Korea competed with the South Korea for diplomatic recognition. ", Spanish judiciary's page about the attack, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=North_Korean_Embassy_in_Madrid_incident&oldid=1021800409, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from October 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 6 May 2021, at 19:10. FILE - This Feb. 28, 2019 fie photo shows a view of North Korea's embassy in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. [22], It was uncertain the Free Joseon members were aware of the embassy's business that day and may have been surprised by the guests' presence. (Sergio Perez/Reuters) By . [10] A spokeswoman for the South Korean embassy stated that "we do not know anything, we can not say anything else, we heard about the assault by the press, the police did not come here". "A grave terrorist attack occurred on 22 February, where an armed group assaulted the DPRK Embassy in Spain […] [14] The court statement also stated that Hong Chang had acted without state assistance,[16] and the group's statement later reiterated the point. [2] The appearance of being involved with an invasion of extraterritorial immunity. The Government of North Korea described the incident as an act of terrorism and demanded an international investigation; the embassy and its attaché, however, did not report the attack or any injuries sustained by the staff to the Spanish police. A man suspected of involvement in a mysterious dissident group’s February raid on North Korea’s Embassy in Madrid has been arrested in Los Angeles by U.S. authorities. I rang the buzzer and watched the door open. The group also stated that an explanatory statement would be published, but, according to, Thon-ho was North Korea's ambassador to the, Raid on the North Korean embassy in Madrid, Singapore summit between North Korea (DPRK) and the United States, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/11/23/the-underground-movement-trying-to-topple-the-north-korean-regime, "Did the CIA Orchestrate an Attack on the North Korean Embassy in Spain? [20], Despite the incident not being reported by the embassy or its staff, it was investigated by Spanish authorities. A view of North Korea's embassy in Madrid on Thursday, February 28. A view of North Korea's embassy in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. [15], Free Joseon subsequently stated on their website they had "received a request for help from comrades in a certain Western country" that involved "a highly dangerous situation". A group of 10 assailants broke into the embassy … The North Korean Embassy is only about 7 miles from the U.S. Embassy in Madrid — with key Spanish government facilities in between. SEOUL—The 10 men in dark suits who raided the North Korean embassy in Madrid last month had one goal in mind, it would seem: to overthrow … If you can improve it further, please do so. In the Cold War era its foreign policy was focused on the Soviet bloc countries, while it actively courted allies in the developing world. Two days before the attack the group's website was recruiting field agents, guards and field intelligence agents; the advertisements were tailored towards young people who had previously lived in China and were "willing to devote to the liberation of the North". A group of armed men burst into Pyongyang's Spanish embassy last month and roughed up employees before fleeing with documents and computers. [23][note 4] On 27 March 2019, they accepted responsibility for the incident in question,[9] claimed responsibility for a graffiti attack on the DPRK embassy in Kuala Lumpur early the following month[2] and warned of a "spectacular" in the near future, saying, "the Kim Jong-un regime will continue to feel humiliated if it rejects the order of freedom". [13] The FBI refused to deny or confirm the existence of the material or whether it was part of an investigation, although they emphasised the "good, working relationship" the Bureau enjoys with its Spanish counterpart. [2] For the Free Jeoson group, securing such top-secret information would "enhance their own status". [3], According to DPRK defector Thae Yong-ho,[note 7] the computer equipment taken by the group could have included decryption software essential for secure communications between Pyongyang and its embassies and missions. Spanish police are investigating an apparent break-in at the North Korean embassy in Madrid, during which staff were reportedly bound and gagged by … [17] US news sources reported that the information received by the FBI from an anonymous ex-intelligence officer was "pretty significant". [15], The US authorities issued an arrest warrant for Adrian Hong on 9 April 2019 while Christopher Ahn, one of perpetrators, was arrested on 18 April that year. [28], The North Korean government did not make a public comment[21] until 37 days later,[28] when the foreign ministry called the assault a "grave terrorist attack"[21] and suggested FBI involvement. [13] Hong Chang flew from Lisbon Airport to Newark Liberty the day after the attack. Hong Chang, a resident of the US but a citizen of Mexico,[9] apparently telephoned the FBI on 27 February[9]—the opening day of the US/DPRK summit[24]—to make a statement giving the assailants' view of events. Reporter. [6] Hong Chang, whom they assumed to be a member of staff because he was wearing a Kim Il-sung–Kim Jong-il badge,[7] answered the door and assured them there was nothing untoward occurring. [3] They said they would wait patiently and acknowledge the Spanish investigation in line with international law, although former North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho said the DPRK government would be "putting pressure" on Spain over the incident. The Cheollima Civil Defense organization committed to overthrowing North Korea… [14] In a subsequent statement, the Cheollima Civil Defense website stated, "parties seeking to 'out' those in Madrid have painted a target on the backs of those seeking only to protect others ... they have chosen to side with Pyongyang's criminal, totalitarian rulers over their victims". North Korea has described a dramatic raid at its embassy in Madrid last month as a “grave terrorist attack” and urged Spanish authorities to bring the suspects to justice. [20] She described the alleged raiders as commandos. The North Korean Embassy in Madrid incident is an event that occurred on 22 February 2019 at the North Korean embassy in Madrid, Spain. [5], The incident took place just before the US President Donald Trump was due to meet Kim Jong-un for further talks on the DPRK's proposed denuclearisation program;[2] a previous summit held in January 2019 in Hanoi, Vietnam, had failed and relations between North Korea and the US had deteriorated further. Spanish authorities said police were investigating an incident last week at the North Korean Embassy in Madrid … North Korea has described a dramatic raid at its embassy in Madrid last month as a “grave terrorist attack” and urged Spanish authorities to bring the suspects to justice. [21][17] Police visited the South Korean embassy to see if any of the staff could be identified. [sentence fragment][2] Judge de la Mata[17] issued international arrest warrants for Hong Chang and Ryu[13] in March 2019,[9] and stated that he would be formally request their extradition when they were served. CIA ‘implicated’ in attack on North Korean embassy in Madrid. ", "North Korea says Madrid embassy raid was 'grave terror attack, "What happened last month at the North Korean Embassy in Spain? The incident is alleged to have been violent; the suspected perpetrators purportedly possessed knives and replica guns, and a number of embassy staff were treated for injuries. North Korea on Sunday called for an investigation into what it described as a "grave terrorist attack" on its embassy in Madrid last month, in its first official statement on the break-in. [17], In contrast to earlier reports, it is possible that the group was invited in by embassy staffers to facilitate a high-level defection that would superficially appear as if it were a kidnapping to delude the North Korean government. [8] It was, said investigators, probably carried out by professionals[6] who knew precisely what they were looking for before they attacked. The paper's source speculated these were the weapons the intruders had used and had dumped before leaving. [10], On Friday, 22 February 2019,[12] Adrian Hong Chang[note 1] asked to see the commercial attaché Yun Suk So, who was the embassy's highest ranking diplomat in residence[16] and with whom Chang claimed to have previous acquaintance. [2], The incident lasted for about five hours; it began at 16:34 CET and had ended by 21:40. [21], Tufts University professor Sung-Yoon Lee believed it likely the seized materials could contain valuable information about any recent plans by the DPRK to evade the sanctions against its government, claims that were repeated on Fox News by Gordon G. A former U.S. Marine accused of stealing electronics from the North Korean embassy in Madrid in a robbery of the diplomatic compound was ordered … The Embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in Madrid is the diplomatic mission of North Korea to Spain. Another member of the embassy staff injured herself by leaping from an upper window before alerting police. [11] Neighbours, however, reported that a few days prior to the incident, a grand party that had attracted local attention had been held at the embassy. John Hudson. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The 10 people who allegedly raided the North Korean Embassy in Madrid last month belong to a mysterious dissident organization that styles itself as a government-in-exile dedicated to toppling the ruling Kim family dynasty in North Korea. [18], There were eight[8] embassy staff members and guests present[6]including a group of North Korean architecture students;[10] all of who were allegedly tied up with ropes,[2] handcuffs and cable ties[16] and hooded[2] with bags.
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