The victim was taken to hospital in a critical condition. Joan Sánchez

A high-ranking official in the South Korean government died on Thursday after having been the victim of a violent robbery in Barcelona on June 24. The Catalan police force said yesterday that they are still searching for the person who carried out the crime that cost the woman her life, three days after she was taken to hospital.

The woman was part of a commission from the Culture and Tourism Ministry in South Korea

The victim was walking along Taulat street in the Poble Nou neighborhood of the Catalan capital at around 10.30pm. A motorcyclist approached her and tried to snatch her handbag. The woman, aged 65, fell to the ground and suffered a violent blow to the head, leaving her in a critical condition.

The woman was part of a commission from the Culture and Tourism Ministry in South Korea, and was on an official visit to the city with colleagues. As soon as she was taken to the Mar hospital in Barcelona doctors diagnosed her condition as critical and had little hope that she would survive.

The death of the official comes in the midst of a debate about safety in Barcelona, where figures on crime saw a 17% rise in offenses last year. In the first quarter of this year, the number of incidents has continued to rise, in particular violent robberies such as this one, which have gone up 28%.