The cast of characters will be familiar to observers of secret intelligence operations.
The embassy burglars sought information, a la Watergate. Unlike Watergate, they came by day. They invaded the Embassy in a quiet residential neighborhood, assaulted the staff, tied people up, and demanded computers and files.
A BBC report says they were especially interested in former ambassador to Madrid, Kim Hyok-chol, a confidante of Kim Jong-un.
He was a natural target for those seeking intelligence about North Korea’s nuclear program. In February Thae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea in 2016, described him as nuclear expert.
“At a very young age, Kim Hyok Chol was placed on the task force that wrote the drafts for North Korea’s nuclear strategy documents at its foreign ministry,” Thae told reporters at a news conference in Seoul.
El Pais on the possible motive for the brazen attack:
Forgive me, but has this gentleman gone completely, barking mad, to make such a suggestion?!?
There is nothing either reasonable, or sane, about a decision to use a nuclear bomb; and a first strike capability, makes the optics of such an attack one of the most morally wretched moves I could think of.
So I would like to politely point out to General Waldemar Skrzypczak, that at this point in human civilization (if one can call humans "civilized" which is sometimes a stretch), that what the world needs right now, are hard-one, practical negotiations between the world's neighbors, independent political bodies, and quasi-military organisations ( like NATO) to ratchet down geopolitical tension, and start working on good faith, relationship-building efforts.
I would like to strongly caution against war as being the preferred "weapon of choice" with which governments frequently attempt to resolve their geopolitical differences; because at the end of the day, someone is going to do something so pig-headedly, ham-fisted stupid, that there will be no way back, and we have made something of this earth which is inimical to to bringing back any life on this planet whatosever.