An Australian man living in North Korea has not been heard from in several days amid reports that he may have been detained by authorities in Pyongyang.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the disappearance of 29-year-old Alek Sigley, a graduate student at Kim Il Sung University. Sigley also runs a company that organizes tours of the reclusive nation and has an active Twitter feed on which he showcases everyday life in the North Korean capital.
There are no posts on Sigley's Twitter account after June 24.
"The situation is that he has not been in digital contact with friends and family since Tuesday morning Australian time, which is unusual for him," the Sigley family said in a statement.
There is no official word on Sigley's whereabouts, only speculation.
Sigley first moved to North Korea in 2018 and is fluent in Mandarin and Korean, the Journal noted. He previously lived in China for three years and is interested in socialism.
Very few Westerners live or even visit North Korea. The communist nation is closed off and has feuded with South Korea and that country's allies — including the United States — for several decades. The Trump administration is negotiating with North Korean leadership in an effort to persuade the country to abandon its nuclear weapons program.
President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison are among the world leaders attending this week's G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.
Trump indicated Wednesday he has no plans to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his trip. There are, however, behind-the-scenes talks between the two nations on the G20 summit's sidelines.
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