Embassy Robbery Assault

[Anchor Lead]

North Korea has issued its first official response to the robbery assault of the North Korean Embassy in Madrid, Spain. Pyongyang said that it's keeping close tabs on the investigation into the alleged involvement of the FBI.

[Pkg]

On February 22nd, just days before the second Pyongyang and Washington summit, a group of unidentified men infiltrated the North Korean Embassy in Spain, stealing computers and mobile phones, before making their escape. About a month later, the Spanish court announced their findings on the incident: there were 10 infiltrators, which include South Korean, American, and Mexican nationals. One of them made contact with the FBI in New York a few days later. Although foreign legations rarely get attacked, North Korea has kept mum about the matter. The regime finally issued its first official response, 37 days after the incident. Korean Central News Agency reported that its Foreign Ministry's spokesman defined this case as a serious terrorist act and that the illegal entry, occupation, and robbery of a foreign legation is a serious and aggressive violation of international laws. Pyongyang claims it is keeping close tabs on various rumors about the incident, including that the FBI and anti-North Korean group are involved in the attack. The communist state also emphasized that it will wait for the Spanish investigators' findings on the matter. Meanwhile, Free Joseon, the group that claimed responsibility for the incident, pointed out, it shared valuable information with the FBI at the bureau's request. Free Joseon is a group that changed its name from Cheollima Civil Defense. They claim to have moved Kim Han-sol and his family to a safe place after his father Kim Jong-nam's assassination in 2017. Kim Jong-nam is the stepbrother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The U.S. State Department promptly denied any involvement after the Spanish court's findings were released, saying that the American government had nothing to do with this case.