Detention of Alek Sigley
Alek Sigley | |
---|---|
Born | 3 November 1989 |
Education | Kim Il-sung University (not completed) |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 2013–2019 |
Known for | Arrest and detention by North Korea |
Detainment | |
Country | ![]() |
Detained | 25 June 2019 |
Charge | Espionage |
Released | 4 July 2019 |
Korean name | |
Hangul | |
Revised Romanization | Allekeu Ssigeulli |
McCune–Reischauer | Allek'ŭ Ssigŭlli |
Alek Sigley (Korean: 알레크 씨글리) is an Australian national who was detained in North Korea in 2019 on espionage charges.[1][2][3][4][5]
Early life
Sigley's father is Australian and his mother is Chinese.[6][7] He finished school in Perth, Australia.[7]
North Korea
Sigley visited the country as an exchange student in 2012.[7] Sigley decided to start his own tour company on his fifth visit to North Korea in 2013.[8][6][9][10] Sigley's tour company set itself apart from others by offering language classes from 2016 onwards.[8] The first was held after the detention of Otto Warmbier, with Sigley in attendance as one of the participants.[11]
In May, 2018, he married his Japanese wife in Pyongyang.[6][12] Guests of the wedding included South Korean celebrities Nikolai Johnsen and Carlos Gorito and Russian scholar Andrei Lankov.[citation needed] Sigley is said to have travelled to North Korea at least ten times before electing to enroll in tertiary education there.[8]
Swedish politician Kent Härstedt was responsible for negotiating the release of Sigley.[13] Upon being released from detention, Sigley travelled to Beijing, then Tokyo.[14][15] Before his expulsion from North Korea, Sigley was particularly keen on sharing photos of his trips on his tour company website[11][16][17] and blogging about his experiences on the same website as well as news outlets such as The Guardian's opinion section and NK News.[18][19] It has been suggested his contributions to NK News might have been the reason for his detention.[20] NK News have denied this.[21] After being released from detention, Sigley announced that his tour company would no longer be offering tours to the country.[citation needed] His business partner Michelle Joyce noted that their tour company hoped to re-establish tours to the country in the future.[22] She also believed Sigley intends to return to North Korea.[23]
See also
- Otto Warmbier
- Troy Collings
- John Short (missionary)
- List of foreign nationals detained in North Korea
- Tourism in North Korea
- Australia–North Korea relations
References
- ^ Petrov, Leonid (6 July 2019). "Luck had nothing to do with Alek Sigley's escape from North Korea". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- ^ Taylor, Paige (4 July 2019). "Missing Australian student Alek Sigley freed from detention in North Korea, now safe and out of country". The Australian. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- ^ "Australia warns released student Alek Sigley not to return to North Korea". The Straits Times. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- ^ "Alek Sigley: Australian student released from North Korea". The Guardian. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
- ^ "Alek Sigley: North Korea accuses Australian of 'spying'". BBC. 6 July 2019.
- ^ a b c Böge, Friederike (27 June 2019). "Vom Regime fühlte er sich nie bedroht". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ a b c Evans, Steve (27 June 2019). "The mystery of Alek Sigley - from 'Dullsville' to China to Canberra to Pyongyang". Canberra Times. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ a b c Jeppesen, Travis (2018). "Two". See you again in Pyongyang: A journey into Kim Jong Un's North Korea (First ed.). Hachette. ISBN 978-0-316-50913-8.
- ^ Jeppesen, Travis (2018). "Four". See you again in Pyongyang: A journey into Kim Jong Un's North Korea (First ed.). Hachette. ISBN 978-0-316-50913-8.
- ^ Jeppesen, Travis (2018). "Thirty-seven". See you again in Pyongyang: A journey into Kim Jong Un's North Korea (First ed.). Hachette. ISBN 978-0-316-50913-8.
- ^ a b Jeppesen, Travis (2018). "Eight". See you again in Pyongyang: A journey into Kim Jong Un's North Korea (First ed.). Hachette. ISBN 978-0-316-50913-8.
- ^ "Alarm in Australia after lost contact with student in North Korea". The National.
- ^ Magnusson, Erik (1 September 2019). "Så gick det till när Kent Härstedt förhandlade loss Alek Sigley från nordkoreansk fångenskap". Sydsvenskan. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "Australian student missing in North Korea released from detention". Oman Daily Observer. 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "Australian student 'very happy' in Tokyo after North Korea detention". DNA India. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ Jeppesen, Travis (2018). "Thirty". See you again in Pyongyang: A journey into Kim Jong Un's North Korea (First ed.). Hachette. ISBN 978-0-316-50913-8.
- ^ Jeppesen, Travis (2018). "Thirty-two". See you again in Pyongyang: A journey into Kim Jong Un's North Korea (First ed.). Hachette. ISBN 978-0-316-50913-8.
- ^ Sigley, Alek (31 March 2019). "I'm the only Australian living in North Korea. Let me tell you about it".
- ^ Sigley, Alek (9 January 2019). "From Perth to Pyongyang: my life as an Aussie student at Kim Il Sung University".
- ^ Hennessy, Annabel (7 July 2019). "Fears for friends of Perth man Alek Sigley left behind in North Korea". The West Australian. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "NK News statement on release of Alek Sigley". NK News. 6 July 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ "Australian freed in N. Korea keeps mum about detention". Associated Press. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ Henry, Renae (5 July 2019). "Alek Sigley: Friend of Australian who disappeared in North Korea believes he'll return". 9News.