Advanced Search

The story appears on

Page A2

July 5, 2019

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home 禄 World

Detained Aussie student released

Source: Agencies | 00:06 UTC+8 July 5, 2019 | Print Edition

AN Australian student who was detained in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was freed and safely left the country yesterday.

Alek Sigley, 29, who was studying in the DPRK capital, Pyongyang, had been missing since June 25.

“I’m OK. I’m good, I’m very good,” Sigley told reporters after arriving at Beijing airport. He declined to comment about what happened to him in Pyongyang where he had been living. He made a peace sign as he walked through the airport.

An Australian government source familiar with the situation said Sigley was due to travel to Tokyo from Beijing. Sigley is married to a Japanese woman, Yuka Morinaga.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison interrupted parliament earlier yesterday to confirm that Sigley had been freed.

Morrison said in a statement that Swedish authorities had helped secure the student’s release.

Australia has no diplomatic presence in DPRK and relies on other countries such as Sweden to act on its behalf.

In a statement to Reuters, the Swedish foreign ministry said it welcomed the release. “Sweden has acted in accordance with the agreement on providing consular services that exists with Australia and in close cooperation with Australian authorities,” it added.

Sigley’s father, a professor of Asian studies in the western Australian city of Perth, told reporters his son would soon be reunited with his wife. “We are extremely pleased that Alek is safe and sound in Beijing,” Gary Sigley said.

He said his son was in good spirits and in the care of the Australian embassy in Beijing.

Sigley was an active social media user and regularly posted photos and blog posts about subjects such as food and fashion.

Alarm was first raised when he disappeared from his social media accounts. He was also a regular contributor to international media about life in DPRK, which he was enthusiastic about.

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump became the first incumbent US president to set foot in DPRK when he met leader Kim Jong Un.

World
锘

 

Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

娌叕缃戝畨澶 31010602000204鍙

Email this to your friend


锘