Oz student held in N Korea ‘released, safe’

A 29-YEAR-OLD Australian student detained i n North Korea surfaced in Beijing airport on Thursday, saying he was in “very good” spirits after being released.

Alek Sigley – one of a handf ul of Westerners liv ing and studying in North Korea – disappea re d w it hout a t r ac e around June 23, prompting a week of deep concer n a nd frantic speculation about his fate.

For day s Sig le y ’s f a mi l y received no word about his whereabouts or wel l-bei ng, stok i ng fea rs he may have been t he latest in a long line of f or e i g ner s to be c ome enta ng led i n Nor t h Korea’s police state.

Then, wit h l it t le warning, Aust ra l ia n Pr i me Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday told law makers t hat Sig ley had “be en r ele a s e d f rom detention in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” a nd t hat “he i s s a fe a nd well”.

Sigley’s fat her Gar y, a professor of Chinese and Asian st udies, told media i n Aust r a l i a t hat t he fa mi ly was “extremely pleased he is safe and sound”.

The father admitted he had missed a call from his son because he had been busy “shopping” but hoped to give him a “big hug and kiss” soon.

A l e k Si g l e y ’s de t e nt i on came just days before a G20 su mmit a nd a l a nd ma r k meeting bet ween President Dona ld Tr u mp a nd Nor t h Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

A fluent Korean speaker, Sigley ran tours to North Korea and a number of social media sites, which usually had a stream of apolitical content about everyday life in one of the world’s most secretive nations.

His blog posts focused on everyday life in Pyongyang – everything from the city’s dining scene to North Korean app reviews.

“He is always tr ying to demystify North Korea, unlike the typical Western media. He tries to understand the people there,” his 26-year-old Japanese wife Yuka Morinaga had said.

The pair married in a lavish ceremony in Pyongyang last year.

The case was complicated by Australia’s lack of diplomatic re p re s e n t a t i o n i n Nor t h Korea.

Morrison thanked Sweden for its diplomatic help in securing Sigley’s release.

Earlier this week Swedish special envoy Kent Harstedt had travelled to Pyongyang, where he raised the issue with North Korean authorities.

“I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to Swedish aut horities for t heir invaluable a ssi st a nce i n sec u r i ng Alek’s prompt release,” Morrison said, hailing it as a t riumph of “behind the scenes” diplomacy.

Sigley is now at the Australian embassy in Beijing and later on Thursday is expected to travel to Japan, where his wife still lives.

“He’s safe on Aussie soil at our embassy in Beijing,” Morrison said.