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Australian student Alek Sigley (c), 29, on arrival at Beijing International Airport on 4 July 2019. Mandatory credit Kyodo / via REUTERS

An Australian student who disappeared in North Korea was reportedly detained by the authorities and released after recognizing he was a spy. He declined to comment on his arrival in Japan where he joined his wife.

Alek Sigley disappeared two weeks ago, arousing the concern of his relatives. Originally from Perth, Australia, the 29-year-old is fluent in Korean, having been studying Korean literature for about a year at Pyongyang University and organizing tourist trips.

Alek Sigley also wrote articles about daily life in North Korea on a US website based in Seoul, South Korea. He avoided addressing politically sensitive issues, but the North Korean authorities blame him for having submitted analyzes and photos taking advantage of his international student status.

According to the North Korean news agency, he " honestly admitted that he was spying on collecting internal information and sharing it with others, and asked for forgiveness on several occasions. "

Arrested on June 25 just before the G20 summit in Osaka followed by US President Donald Trump's historic visit to North Korea, he was recently released.

Upon his arrival in Tokyo, Alek Sigley sent a new message saying that he aspires to a " return to a normal life " and that he would make " no comment neither now nor later. "