Government warns detained Australian student against returning to North Korea
Australian student Alek Sigley is remaining silent about his detention in North Korea as the Australian government warns him not to return to the communist country.
Mr Sigley reunited with his Japanese wife in Tokyo late on Thursday after being released from North Korea, more than a week after he disappeared in Pyongyang.
He released a statement on Friday, thanking the Australian and Swedish officials who negotiated his release and saying he intends to return to a normal life but refused to comment further "at this time or later".
"I just want everyone to know I am OK and to thank them for their concern for my well being and their support for my family over the past week," the 29-year-old said.
"I'm very happy to be back with my wife, Yuka, and to have spoken with my family in Perth to reassure them I'm well.
"I intend now to return to normal life, but wanted to first publicly thank everyone who worked to ensure I was safe and well."
He singled out Sweden's Special Envoy to North Korea, Kent Rolf Magnus Harstedt, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Marise Payne.
But Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says the university student and tour guide is lucky to be free and suggested Mr Sigley never return to the communist state.
"It could have ended up very differently," Mr Dutton told the Nine Network.
His father, Gary Sigley, said on Thursday at home in Perth that his son was treated well while detained.
Michelle Joyce, his partner in a company that takes Westerners on tours of North Korea, says Australians shouldn't be deterred from travelling there.
But Mr Dutton has a different view, saying the government's official travel advice for North Korea is crystal clear: reconsider going or face high-level risks such as arbitrary arrest and long-term detention.
"We have advisories out to that effect warning people. It needs to be an application of common sense here," he said.
"I don't think he will put himself back into that situation."
Ms Joyce founded Tongil Tours with Mr Sigley in 2013, offering Westerners guided educational tours of the reclusive state. She says she was always 90 per cent sure he would be OK.
"I know that Alek is not the type of person who would stir trouble in North Korea ... I'm just glad that he's fine," she told the ABC on Friday.
"I don't think that the issue was anything completely nefarious ... so I don't think that this should really deter anybody too much."
Sweden has a long-standing diplomatic relationship with North Korea.
After Mr Sigley's usually active social media channels went silent and he stopped contacting family on Tuesday last week, Sweden stepped in to help at the request of Australia, which doesn't have an embassy in Pyongyang.
Mr Morrison has expressed deep gratitude for Sweden's help but has not explained why the Australian was detained.
"It is in nobody's interests, in these quite sensitive consular cases, to go beyond simply saying I'm so pleased that he is safe," Mr Morrison said.
Mr Sigley first visited North Korea in 2012 and has studied for a master's degree in Korean literature at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang since 2018.
After finishing school in Perth, he has studied in Canberra, Japan, Beijing, Shanghai and Seoul. He is fluent in Mandarin and Korean, and speaks some Japanese.
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