MADRID (AP) — Spain has issued at least two international arrest warrants for members of a
self-proclaimed human rights group who allegedly led a mysterious raid at the North Korean Embassy in
Madrid last month and offered the FBI stolen data from the break-in.
A National Court judge who lifted a secrecy order in the case Tuesday said an investigation of the Feb.
22 attack uncovered evidence that "a criminal organization" shackled and gagged embassy staff
members before escaping with computers, hard drives and documents.
The intruders also urged North Korea’s only accredited diplomat in Spain, business envoy So Yun Sok, to
defect, Judge Jose de la Mata said in a written report on the Spanish investigation. So refused to do so
and was gagged, according to the report.
The assailants identified themselves as "members of an association or movement of human rights for
the liberation of North Korea."
That group is the Cheollima Civil Defense, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of
anonymity to discuss details of the incident. The shadowy activists have the self-declared mission of
helping defectors from North Korea.
De la Mata identified citizens of Mexico, the United States and South Korea as the main suspects being
investigated on charges that include of causing injuries, making threats and burglary. He named Adrian
Hong Chang, a Mexican citizen living in the United States, as the break-in’s leader.
Hong Chang flew to the U.S. on Feb. 23, got in touch with the FBI and offered to share material and
videos with federal investigators, according to the court report. The document did not say what type of
information the items contained or whether the FBI accepted the offer.
The FBI said in a statement that its standard practice is to neither confirm nor deny the existence of
investigations. The agency added that "the FBI enjoys a strong working relationship with our
Spanish law enforcement partners."
An official with Spain’s National Police who wasn’t authorized to be named in media reports confirmed to
The Associated Press that arrest warrants were issued for Hong Chang and one other suspect. No one had
been charged as of Tuesday.
The assailants purchased knives and handgun mock-ups when they visited Madrid in early February and used
them during the attack, according to the investigation document.
While in Madrid, Hong Chang also applied for a new passport at the Mexican Embassy, the investigation
found, and used the name "Oswaldo Trump" to register in the Uber ride-hailing app.
The North Korean Embassy hasn’t pressed charges in Spain, and officials in Pyongyang haven’t officially
commented on the attack.
Spanish police learned about the break-in after the wife of an embassy employee escaped by jumping from a
window. When officers went to check on the situation, Hong Chang allegedly greeted them at the door and
pretended to be a diplomatic official, the investigation found.
He sent the officers away with assurances everything was fine, paving the way for the invading group to
make a getaway in the embassy’s cars.
A police investigator with knowledge of the case told the AP that "this attack, whatever it is,
would have gone unnoticed if it wasn’t for the woman who escaped."
So, the North Korean diplomat, didn’t respond to written questions from The Associated Press and declined
to talk to reporters during a recent encounter outside the Madrid embassy.
The timing of the incident, which happened less than a week before a high-stakes U.S.-North Korea summit
on denuclearization derailed in Hanoi on Feb. 28, led to speculation the incursion was carried out to
obtain data related to North Korea’s former ambassador to Spain.
Kim Hyok Chol, who was expelled from Spain in September 2017 following Pyongyang’s sixth nuclear test and
its missile launches over neighboring Japan, has become North Korea’s top nuclear negotiator with the
U.S.
Asked if Washington had any connection to the embassy break-in, U.S. State Department spokesman Robert
Palladino answered, "The United States government had nothing to do with this."
Palladino said that "regarding the specifics of what’s going on, the Spanish authorities are
investigating. The investigation is still underway. For any details on their investigation, I would have
to refer you to Spanish authorities."
The South Korean Embassy in Madrid said it had no knowledge of the events and couldn’t offer further
comment.
Others identified as part of the assailants’ group were Sam Ryu, from the U.S., and Woo Ran Lee, a South
Korean citizen. Their whereabouts and their hometowns weren’t immediately known. None of the suspects
were thought to be still in Spain, the judge wrote.
Spanish authorities tried to keep information about the attack from becoming public until Spain’s El
Confidencial news site revealed some details on Feb. 27.
Last week, the rights group that allegedly led the attack posted a short video on its website allegedly
showing a man shattering portraits of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on the
floor.
The group said the video was filmed recently "on our homeland’s soil," wording that would
accurately apply to the North Korean Embassy in Madrid.
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AP writers Deb Riechmann and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.