Australian student released from North Korea in 'good spirits'

AFP

An Australian student has been released after spending a week in detention in North Korea.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison interrupted Parliament on Thursday to announce that Alek Sigley was now "safe and well" in Beijing after being "released from detention in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea".

He later said in a statement that Swedish authorities had helped secure the student's release.

It is unclear why the 29-year-old, who was pursuing a master's degree and running a tourism business in Pyongyang, was held in the country.

More from International News

  • Flash floods claim lives in northern China

    At least nine people died in a flash flood in northern China, state media reported on Sunday, with three others still missing, as the East Asian monsoon continues to unleash atmospheric chaos across the world's second-largest economy.

  • Israel plans Gaza resident relocation

    Gaza residents will be provided with tents and other shelter equipment starting from Sunday ahead of relocating them from combat zones to the south of the enclave "to ensure their safety," the Israeli military said on Saturday.

  • Trump urges Zelenskiy to make a deal

    U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Ukraine should make a deal to end the war with Russia because "Russia is a very big power, and they're not", after a summit where Vladimir Putin was reported to have demanded more Ukrainian land.

  • Zelenskyy to travel to Washington for talks with Trump

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would travel to Washington on Monday for talks with Donald Trump, after the US president's summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin failed to bring an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.

Blogs