North Korea announced today that it has released an Australian student who was arrested last Sunday for spreading anti-Korean propaganda and spying, that is, publishing photos and news critical of the regime in North Korea.
North Korea's official news agency KCNA said student Alek Sigli was deported on Thursday after he asked for forgiveness for his activities, which KCNA described as a threat to state sovereignty.
North Korea has previously been accused of arresting Westerners to use them as political leverage to win concessions.
Sigli, who arrived in Tokyo on Thursday to be with his Japanese wife, told reporters he was in "very good" condition but declined to say what happened to him during his stay in North Korea. His father, Gary Sigley, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Western Australia, said his son's treatment in North Korea was good.
Incidentally, Alex Sigli studied at Pyongyang University and led tour groups to North Korea before he cut off communication with family and friends via social media.
The case of Alex Sigli ended much more happily than the case of American student Otto Warmbier, who was charged and arrested for attempting to steal a propaganda poster in North Korea. He was returned to the US in a serious condition in June 2017, where he died soon after.
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