Australian student Alek Sigley, who is feared to be detained in North Korea after not being in digital contact with friends and family since June 25. Photo / Supplied
Fears are growing that North Korea has detained an Australian student living in Pyongyang, potentially complicating efforts among some Group of 20 nations to get Kim Jong Un's regime back to nuclear talks.
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it's investigating reports that North Korean authorities have detained
Alek Sigley, who runs tours for foreign students and submits social media posts about the country. His family said his detention hasn't been confirmed.
"He has not been in digital contact with friends and family since Tuesday morning Australian time, which is unusual with him," Sigley's family said in a statement on Thursday, according to a tweet from CNN reporter Paula Hancocks.
North Korea stoked ire in the US when college student Otto Warmbier died in 2017 following more than a year of captivity in the Asian country. While talks over the country's nuclear program have stalled since a failed summit in February between Kim and President Donald Trump, the two leaders have exchanged letters this month in a sign that negotiations may start again soon.
Sigley, a postgraduate student of Korean literature at Kim Il Sung University, founded Tongil Tours in Australia in 2013, according to the company's website. It says it's "committed to helping friends from all over the world experience North Korea travel that is safe, educational, and unforgettable." The word "tongil" means "unification" in Korean.
