Australian student held in Pyongyang freed
Alek Sigley, who went missing a week ago, is now in China before travelling to Japan. Intervention by Swedish diplomats proved decisive. For Pyongyang, "Washington is obsessed with sanctions" and "undermines the peaceful atmosphere" on the Korean Peninsula.
Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Alek Sigley (pictured), a 29-year-old Australian who went missing in North Korea for about a week, has been “released” and “is safe and well,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told parliament. The release follows a meeting between officials from the Swedish embassy and North Korea.
As Australia rejoices over Sweden’s diplomatic success, North Korea launches another verbal attack against the United States.
Sigley was doing a master's degree and running a tourist business in Pyongyang. It is not known why the fluent Korean speaker was detained.
After his release, he was taken to China before travelling to Japan. "I'm ok, yeah, I'm good, I'm very good," Mr Sigley is seen saying on footage reportedly showing his arrival in Beijing.
Originally from Perth, Mr Sigley was one of very few foreigners living in North Korea. For the past year he had been pursuing a degree in Korean literature at Kim Il-sung University, and acting as a tour operator for Western tourists.
Last week, his family and friends lost contact with him, sparking fears he might have been detained.
The Australian prime minister today thanked Swedish authorities, who met with senior North Korean officials yesterday, and "raised the issue of Alek's disappearance on Australia’s behalf".
"I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the Swedish authorities for their invaluable assistance," Mr Morrison said.
Sweden is one of few Western countries with an embassy in North Korea and often acts as an intermediary for countries that don't.
As North Korean officials met with Swedish diplomats, the North Korean government launched a harsh attack on the United States for being "hell-bent on hostile acts”, despite a recent agreement between the two countries to resume nuclear talks.
The North Korean delegation to the United Nations said on Wednesday that the US was "obsessed with sanctions".
This comes days after the countries' leaders held a historic meeting in the heavily fortified demilitarised zone (DMZ) which divides the two Koreas.
North Korea also accused Washington of attempting to "undermine the peaceful atmosphere" on the Korean peninsula.
.png)
12/02/2016 15:14
06/06/2018 13:43
23/03/2019 13:30
