This archive report was first published on 5 July 2019.
On June 23, Australian student Alek Sigley disappeared in North Korea, sparking a week of concern about his fate. He was later found to be safe and well, thanks to the efforts of Sweden's envoy to North Korea, who helped negotiate his release.
Sigley, a student and tour guide who lived and studied in North Korea, emerged in Beijing on Thursday, July 4, where he told reporters he felt 'great.' He then flew to Tokyo to reunite with his wife, Yuka, and declined to answer questions on his arrival.
Hours after his release, Sigley's family released a statement saying he had been reunited with his wife and would not be conducting any interviews or holding a press conference. Sigley thanked Sweden's envoy for their help in securing his release, but gave no indication of why he was held, how he was treated, or why he was released.
On Friday, July 5, Australia's Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton cautioned Sigley against returning to North Korea, saying it was not a safe option. Sigley's release came just days before a G20 summit and a landmark meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump was involved in the case of University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier, who was imprisoned in North Korea in 2016 and suffered severe brain damage while in detention. Sigley, who spoke fluent Korean and had lived in North Korea for some time, was much more familiar with the country than Warmbier.
