A French official "suspected of spying for North Korea"

A senior French Senate official has been arrested for spying in North Korea, judicial sources said.

Benoît Quennedey was arrested Sunday night for "collecting and transmitting information to a foreign power," they said.

He is questioned by the national security agency, the DGSI.

Reports indicate that his Paris home and that of his parents, near Dijon, were searched.

Mr. Quennedey is a senior official with the Senate Department of Architecture, Heritage and Gardens. He is also president of the Franco-Korean Friendship Association (AAC), which promotes closer ties with North Korea and supports the reunification of divided Koreas.

As such, he has visited Pyongyang several times in recent years. He has also written several articles and books about the country.

As part of these trips, he met with officials and academics working in the areas of architecture and construction, according to the AAFC website.

The Senate presidency declined to comment on this information, the AFP news agency said.

The arrest was first reported by the daily program of the TMC television channel, which then reported that the office of Mr. Quennedey's Senate had also been the subject of a report. descent.

The investigation into Mr. Quennedey began in March, according to reports.