Alek Sigley, Australian missing in North Korea, is 'alive and well' in China
Missing Australian citizen Alek Sigley, who was feared detained in North Korea, has been found “safe and sound” in China, NK News reported on Thursday.
Masters student Mr Sigley, 29, disappeared last Tuesday in Pyongyang, sparking desperate international diplomatic attempts to find him.
His "release from detention" in North Korea and arrival in China was confirmed to the Australian parliament by Scott Morrison, the Australian prime minister, who extended his "deepest gratitude" to Sweden for its help in the case.
"I'm sure we all could not be more pleased that we not only know where Alek is but that we know that he is safe," he said.
No details have been released about what happened to the student, but Mr Sigley, who also runs Tongil Tours, which arranges cultural exchanges to North Korea, is expected to return to his wife in Tokyo later on Thursday.
First images of the Australian pushing his luggage through Beijing airport emerged around lunchtime. Mr Sigley, accompanied by three Western men, smiled and said "I'm very good" to waiting reporters but declined to reveal any more.
NK News, a site specialising on North Korean affairs, which Mr Sigley had previously written for, reported that his apparent release followed a visit to the hermit kingdom by a special envoy of the Swedish government, which many had speculated was tied to his mysterious disappearance.
Australia does not have an official diplomatic presence in North Korea, but consular assistance is provided to Australian citizens by Sweden.
Mr Sigley, who speaks fluent Mandarin and Korean, has been the only Australian living in North Korea, and since 2018 one of only a handful of Western students at Kim Il Sung university, studying contemporary North Korean literature.
He has written regularly for Western media outlets about his day to day experiences in the reclusive nation, and has been prolific on social media.
His sudden silence on Twitter prompted concerns among friends last week and his family later confirmed that he had not been in contact since Tuesday morning, while the Australian foreign ministry said it was “urgently seeking clarification” about reports of his arrest.
The treatment of foreign citizens, most usually from the United States, by the secretive North has been a contentious issue over the years.
Some have been held as prisoners for extended periods, and Mr Sigley’s sudden vanishing triggered immediate fears that his case could resemble that of Otto Warmbier, a US student who received a hefty jail term in 2017 after he fell foul of the North Korean authorities by allegedly stealing a poster.
Warmbier tragically died after falling into a coma during his 17-month detention.
Mr Sigley was well-versed in North Korean culture and often spoke fondly of his experiences there, leaving many surprised about reports of his possible detention.
Before studying in the North, Mr Sigley had visited the country multiple times as a tour operator and chose to host his wedding to his Japanese-born wife in Pyongyang last year.
He earlier told Sky News that he was not concerned about being monitored as he was sensible about online posts. "I've never felt threatened and this whole year has been a period of rapprochement,” he said.
