Aussie in N Korea breaks his silence: ‘I’m no spy’
AUSTRALIANstudent Alek Sigley who was detained in North Korea last week has broken his silence and released a series of tweets to insist he was not a spy.
In a series of Twitter posts, Mr Sigley told followers he was "well both mentally and physically."
Mr Sigley goes on to say he will be making a brief statement given the constant questions facing him.
"The allegation that I am a spy is (pretty obviously) false. The only material I gave to NK News was what was published publicly on the blog, and the same goes for other media outlets."
The response came days after allegations from Pyongyang that the Australian tour guide was feeding photos and data to news sites critical of the hermit nation.
Mr Sigley, 29, said on his thread that he was still very interested in North Korea and wanted to continue academic research and other work related to the country, but currently had no plans to visit it again.
He also confirmed his tourism business, Tongil Tours, would cancel all tours until further notice.
In his final post he says, "The whole situation makes me very sad. I may never again walk the streets of Pyongyang, a city that holds a very special place in my heart. I may never again see my teachers and my partners in the travel industry … But that's life."
(For reference, here is the statement that I made just after my release last week: https://t.co/jPuLmJCSgu.)
— Alek Sigley (@AlekSigley) July 9, 2019
2. I am still very interested in North Korea and want to continue academic research and other work related to the country. But I currently have no plans to visit the country again, at least in the short term. Tongil Tours will be cancelling all its tours until further notice.
— Alek Sigley (@AlekSigley) July 9, 2019
3. The whole situation makes me very sad. I will now be be unable to receive my master’s degree from Kim Il Sung University after completing more than half the course and achieving good results.
— Alek Sigley (@AlekSigley) July 9, 2019
I will not be giving any media interviews, holding a press conference or answering questions about this on social media
— Alek Sigley (@AlekSigley) July 9, 2019
