Did this US activist mastermind raid on North Korean embassy?
- Spanish authorities claim Adrian Hong, a founder of Liberty in North Korea, led a group of 10 that stormed Pyongyang’s embassy in Madrid
- In 2006, Hong was arrested in China while helping a group of North Korean defectors seek asylum
The man Spanish authorities accuse of orchestrating a daring raid on North Korea’s embassy in Madrid is a US-based human rights activist who was once detained in China while helping a group of North Korean defectors seek asylum.
Adrian Hong, a founder of Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), a non-profit organisation that helps North Koreans escape their homeland, was detained in 2006 along with six defectors who had sought asylum at the US consulate in Shenyang.
Chinese authorities deported Hong and two colleagues to the United States after several days, but detained the North Koreans in Shenyang for months before allowing them to resettle in South Korea.
Hong, who serves as managing director of advisory firm Pegasus Strategies, had not been involved in LiNK for more than a decade, the NGO said.
“We have no knowledge of his recent activities, and we have no information on the Madrid embassy incident other than what has been published by the media,” said LiNK CEO Hannah Song.