Australian Post-Grad Student Goes Missing In North Korea

Alex Sigley, an Australian citizen and a digitally active postgraduate student of Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang - North Korea has gone missing. The 29-year-old’s friends reported him missing after he failed to contact them for more than 48-hours.

The family’s spokesman could not confirm whether Sigley, who was studying contemporary North Korean literature, has been detained by the government. He said Sigley had not been in ‘digital contact’ with family and friends since Tuesday morning, Australian time. The spokesman described it as ‘unusual’.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, without releasing his identity said they are providing consular services to the family of an Australian man ‘who has been reported as detained’ in North Korea. It said they will not provide further details due to their privacy obligations.

Reports say that Australia does not have an official diplomatic presence in North Korea and would be providing consular assistance through Sweden. The Telegraph said Sweden is aware of the matter and is dealing with it within the framework of its bilateral agreement with Australia.

It is believed that Sigley may have caught the attention of the North Korean authorities because of his activity on social media and articles published in various media such as ‘I’m the only Australian living in North Korea. Let me tell you about it’ in The Guardian. Sigley had recently posted pictures of North Korea’s Olympic uniforms and food photos. According to CNN, Sigley was one of the few people who regularly tweeted from Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. His

last tweet on Monday which was bilingual - in Korean and English, showed a new signage above the Ryugyong Hotel, which is a North Korean skyscraper.

Reports say this latest incident will surely be on the agenda of the G20 summit as the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is expected to meet fellow leaders.