Pro-N. Korean Spaniard arrested for alleged arms dealing

Alejandro Cao de Benós, the leader of pro-North Korea group the Korea Friendship Association, was arrested for alleged arms trafficking in Spain. /Courtesy of Twitter

By Lee Jin-a

Alejandro Cao de Benós, the only Westerner working for North Korea’s Kim Jong-un regime, has been arrested for allegedly trafficking arms in Tarragona, Spain, a U.S.-based media outlet said Wednesday.

According to Radio Free Asia, Spanish police found four modified guns and 2,000 cartridges at his home and arrested him for allegedly dealing weapons near Barcelona, Tuesday. But there was no evidence that the alleged dealing was directly linked to the isolated country.

Benós, 42, is an honorary special delegate for the North’s Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries. He also leads a pro-North Korea organization, the Korea Friendship Association, which has official representatives in 28 countries.

With his Korean name, “Jo Seon-il,” Benós reportedly lives in Pyongyang almost six months a year as a middleman between the North Korean government and foreign investors.