Cheollima Civil Defence group says it raided North Korean embassy

A secretive dissident group seeking to overthrow the regime in North Korea has claimed responsibility for last month’s raid on the country’s embassy in Madrid, as a court in Spain prepared to seek the intruders’ extradition.

Cheollima Civil Defence said in a statement posted on its website that the 22 February raid on the embassy was “not an attack” and claimed that its members had been responding to an “urgent situation” inside the embassy. The intruders fled with computers, hard disks, and other items after a failed attempt to persuade an embassy official to defect.

The raid took place less than a week before the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, met Donald Trump in Hanoi for denuclearisation talks, prompting speculation that the group was attempting to obtain information about North Korea’s former ambassador to Spain, Kim Hyok-chol.

However, a Spanish high court judge said the 10 assailants shackled, beat and interrogated embassy staff.

The group denied it was working with the FBI or any other foreign organization.

“The Hanoi summit had no relation to this operation. We recognize and apologize for any inconveniences caused to the authorities of Spain, who have been caught in the middle of a difficult situation,” the statement said.

But it appeared to confirm reports that one of its members had contacted the FBI days after the raid, saying it had “shared certain information of enormous potential value” with the bureau “under mutually agreed terms of confidentiality.”

It added: “This information was shared voluntarily and on their request, not our own. Those terms appear to have been broken.”

The group denied its members had been carrying weapons or had used force during the raid.

“We were invited into the embassy, and contrary to reports, no one was gagged or beaten,” the statement said. “Out of respect for the host nation of Spain, no weapons were used. All occupants in the embassy were treated with dignity and necessary caution.”

The statement said the North Korean regime was “simply a giant criminal enterprise”.

“The regime’s embassies and offices are hubs of illicit narcotics and arms trafficking… they are launchpads for global cyber attacks and thefts, assassinations, kidnapping and hostage-taking.”

The US government denied any involvement in the raid, shortly after reports that Spanish high court judge José de la Mata planned to request the extradition from the US of members of the group, which also uses the name Free Joseon.