Australian student released from North Korea

Alek Sigley, an Australian student who went missing in North Korea last week has been freed from detention, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday.

"Alek is safe and well ... we were advised that the DPRK have released him from detention and he has safely left the country and I can confirm that he has arrived safely," Morrison told Parliament, referring to North Korea by its official name.

It was the first time that an official confirmed that the 29-year-old had been detained, although Morrison did not provide an explanation about why he had been taken into custody.

Sigley's family and friends sounded the alarm last week, saying they hadn't heard from him since June 25.

Morrison also thanked Swedish authorities for helping to get the student released. Australia does not have a diplomatic presence in North Korea, but carries out consular work with the help of the Swedish Embassy in the capital Pyongyang.

"On behalf of the Australian government I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the Swedish authorities for their invaluable assistance in securing Alek's prompt release," he said.

One of a few Western students in Pyongyang

Sigley had been pursuing a graduate degree in Korean literature at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang. He also runs several social media sites about everyday life in the reclusive authoritarian state.

"He is always trying to demystify North Korea, unlike the typical Western media. He tries to understand the people there," his 26-year-old wife Yuka Morinaga previously said.

The 29-year-old is only one of a handful of Western students studying at the university, where foreign students are largely separated from North Koreans.

His detention came just days ahead of a landmark meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, prompting concerns that his detention may have been politically motivated.

Sigley is believed to be traveling to Japan, where his wife lives.

rs/jm (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)

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