Australian Student and Tour Operator Goes Missing In North Korea
This sucks for this man’s family, but like I have said every time someone gets detained in North Korea, I have little sympathy for them. No one should be traveling to North Korea and supporting the Kim regime:
The family of an Australian who vanished in North Korea in mysterious circumstances have broken their silence.
Alek Sigley, 29, who is a postgraduate student at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang and a self-employed tour company operator, has not been seen or heard from by friends and loved ones for more than 48 hours.
He was identified in South Korean media overnight as having been taken into custody by North Korean officials.
Australian officials have been trying to confirm whether he has in fact been arrested or if there is some other explanation for his disappearance.
On Thursday afternoon, Mr Sigley’s family issued a statement confirming they remained unsure of his fate.
“As of 1pm (AEST), it has not been confirmed that Alek has been detained in the DPRK,” it said.
“The situation is that Alek has not been in digital contact with friends and family since Tuesday morning Australian time, which is unusual for him.
“Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is therefore seeking to confirm his whereabouts and welfare.”
“Alek is an Australian-born Asian scholar and traveller who has visited, studied and lived in several countries in Asia. Alek can speak Mandarin and Korean fluently along with some Japanese.
“He is studying for a Masters in Korean literature at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang. Alek’s family hope to re-establish contact with him soon.”
News.com.au
You can read more at the link, but hopefully he is able to return home alive and not tortured unlike what other detainees experienced from the Kim regime.
Let me guess. He stole a poster too?
In North Korea, even the most innocent glance, facial expression, or perceived lack of enthusiasm is enough to become worm food. Especially if a nork competitor (at school or in the tour business) whispers that you work for the American CIA…
Another Warmbier case? Probably not. If this kid was trusted enough to have “digital communications” with his family in Australia, he must have been of some significance to the regime. He’s probably done something that cast doubt on his status (like working for the CIA or for Australia’s version of that). This guy looks like the perfect candidate for intelligence operations. Speaks three of the most prominent languages of Northeast Asia, and, from the looks of him, is at least partially Asian in some way. If the CIA hasn’t recruited him, they missed their chance.
He might even have been recruited by Beijing (Mandarin language skills).
Or he may have been set up by a group he refused to join. The spy racket is pretty dangerous, if you believe those Hollywood movies.
What do you do with a master’s degree in Korean literature?
Read stories to the Dear Leader, of course. 😆 😆 😆
Re: Master’s degree
Manage Fatty’s food orders.
What do you do with a master’s degree in Korean literature?
“그걸 가지고 감자튀김을 드시겠습니까?”