Missing Alek Sigley’s social media accounts closed after he vanishes in North Korea
The family of Australian student Alek Sigley has issued another statement after they lost another part of their contact with him, as authorities frantically try to find him in North Korea.
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Missing Australian man Alek Sigley’s family has issued a statement about his social media accounts being closed as authorities continue their desperate search to locate him in North Korea.
“As of 11am AEST there has been no change in what is known about the status of Alek Sigley in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” a family spokesperson said.
“He remains out of digital contact with friends and family and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade continues to seek clarification as to his whereabouts and welfare.
“Some media have speculated about the shuttering of Alek’s social media accounts.
“This has been done at the instigation of his family to limit unnecessary speculation and commentary on those channels.”
The statement said: “Alek’s family hope to re-establish contact with him soon.”
Mr Sigley’s Japanese wife says she and his family in Australia are “very concerned” for his wellbeing.
Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister confirmed a second man has also vanished in North Korea, heightening fears of the Perth student’s welfare.
Mr Sigley was studying his masters in Pyongyang.
The Japanese man also feared missing is chef Kenji Fujimoto, a former sushi chef to dictator Kim Jong-un’s father.
WIFE CONCERNED FOR SIGLEY
Yuka Morinaga, 26, a software developer in Tokyo, said she usually speaks with her husband Mr Sigley via WhatsApp every day. They last exchanged messages on Monday night.
“I didn’t notice anything weird,” she said.
The pair chatted about food, one of Sigley’s favourite topics, and a common subject on his blog.
He also shared some pictures of a tailor-made suit that he and some of his fellow students had made in Pyongyang.
ANALYSIS: Fears for Australian student missing in North Korea
Ms Morinaga said she and Mr Sigley have frequent lighthearted conversations, showing News Corp Australia a screenshot from last week with her pet hamster.
Sigley’s blog doesn’t court controversy.
“He’s very cautious and very respectful of North Korean culture,” she said.
“He is one 100 per cent aware that he’s a guest there and needs to respect the culture.
“He is always trying to demystify North Korea unlike typical Western media.
“He tries to understand people there.”
Mr Sigley and Ms Morinaga married in Japan last year.
They first met in 2011 as students in Shanghai.
After that the couple lived in Canberra where they both attended ANU.
Mr Sigley studied North Korean literature and history while his then-girlfriend concentrated on linguistics.
Ms Morinaga said her husband splits his time between Pyongyang, Tokyo and Australia.
He speaks Mandarin as well as Korean.
“He speaks pretty good Korean so he should be able to communicate with the people in charge,” she said regarding his status.
But “we don’t know what’s happened. We don’t even know if he has been detained or not”.
“I’m worried but we don’t know anything yet,” she said, adding DFAT officers in Canberra have been trying to contact her.
Ms Morinaga said Mr Sigley has a positive outlook and it is in his nature to be kind.
“Some people might say he’s kind of naive because he’s very pure and believes in good, and doing good.”
Mr Sigley was planning to visit Tokyo and Australia next month during the Pyongyang university holidays.
COINCIDENCE? FEARS FOR MISSING RENOWNED CHEF
Mr Sigley’s disappearance comes as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke with Prime Minister Scott Morrison about a Japanese citizen who had also vanished in North Korea, it is not confirmed whether anyone was named specifically. Mr Morrison spoke about his conversation with Mr Abe on Friday morning.
Their talk follows reports about sushi chef Kenji Fujimoto’s rumoured disappearance.
Mr Morrison said Mr Sigley’s disappearance was “very concerning”, speaking with reporters at the G20 summit this morning.
Authorities had not been able to learn any more about his whereabouts or disappearance overnight, he said.
“We are working with our partners in that part of the world to get to the bottom of what has occurred here,” he told the Today Show.
“It’s obviously very concerning. I am very concerned about it. We have had a lot of sympathy expressed and willingness to assist by other countries who I’ve already had a chat about this with.”
Australian diplomats are urgently trying to locate Mr Sigley after South Korean press reported that he had been arrested at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang, where he is currently studying for a masters in Korean literature.
Mr Sigley, who has operated trips to North Korea for foreigners since 2013 with his company Tongil Tours, has also not posted on social media or his blog since Monday.
“It’s pretty unheard of for a tourist or foreign resident to be detained for no reason,” a tourism source told News Corp Australia.
“All the detentions we know about have been tourists who have broken a rule or law. They don’t randomly snatch people up.”
Mr Sigley’s reported arrest in Pyongyang comes almost two years to the day after US college student Otto Warmbier died following 15 months in a North Korean jail.
Circumstances surrounding Mr Sigley’s disappearance remain unclear, including who it was that raised the alarm.
His status as a resident, teamed with the culturally respectful nature of his blog and social media postings, make his disappearance even more baffling to insiders.
“He would be the person who knows how not to mess up, and he is not American,” notes the source, who asked not to be identified.
Mr Fujimoto, who has also been “unreachable”, has run an upscale Japanese restaurant Takahashi in Pyongyang since returning to the country last August.
It features online as a stop on one of the itineraries run by foreign tour operators.
A friend who attended Mr Sigley’s wedding in North Korea last May told News Corp Australia he was shocked by reports of the arrest, saying: “Alek has only spoken positively about North Korea, the people and his experience there.”
Daniel Tang, an Australian international relations lecturer at Otemae University in Japan who met Mr Sigley when they studied in China, said Mr Sigley had “always worked to increase mutual understanding between North Korea and the world”.
“He enjoyed studying there,” Mr Tang said.
“Everybody can see his social media posts. He wanted to present snapshots of daily life in North Korea not often seen in mainstream media.”
Mr Tang said Mr Sigley’s wedding was “really memorable and beautiful” and shared what the couple loved both about North Korea.
Mr Sigley grew up in Perth, where he attended Rossmoyne Senior High School.
Both he and his wife studied at the Australian National University in Canberra.
His family issued a statement saying it has not been confirmed whether he had been detained and they hoped to re-establish contact with him soon.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman confirmed it was offering consular support to an Australian man “who has been reported as being detained in North Korea”.
Senior government figures said diplomats were urgently trying to locate Mr Sigley through the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang.
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