DETAINED AUSTRALIAN RELEASED FROM N.KOREA

[Anchor Lead]

An Australian student who went missing while studying in Pyongyang was yesterday freed from North Korean detention. North Korean authorities have not yet clarified why the foreign national had been detained. Here are the details

[Pkg]

Australian Alek Sigley comes out of the arrival area after flying into Beijing Capital Airport from Pyongyang. He appeared upbeat, but gave only short answers to reporters asking how he was feeling. Deeply interested in North Korean culture, Sigley used to run a travel agency in Australia specializing in North Korea tour programs. Last year, he started studying for a master's degree in Korean literature at Kim Il-sung University in Pyongyang. He had been posting about North Korea on his social media sites, but suddenly went missing at around June 25th. Some foreign news agencies reported that Sigley was arrested by North Korean authorities sometime during the 24th of last month. There were concerns that his disappearance would result in another Otto Warmbier incident. Warmbier was an American college student, who went into a coma while imprisoned in the communist state, and was released shortly before his death. Australia, which had diplomatic ties with North Korea but no diplomatic post there, asked for help from the Swedish government that had an embassy in Pyongyang. Subsequently, a special envoy from the Swedish government met with the regime's foreign minister Ri Yong-ho to secure Sigley's release.

[Soundbite] SCOTT MORRISON(AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER)

North Korea has not clarified why the Australian national was detained, but his release indicates that the hermit kingdom does not want any conflict with the international community as Pyongyang resumes dialogue with Washington.