North Korea says a released Australian student spied on

Alek Sigley, who had been in North Korea since June 25, was an active social media user and a regular contributor to international media, including NK News, about his stay in North Korea.

Seoul:

The North Korean state news agency said on Saturday that an Australian student expelled from the country after ten days of detention had committed "espionage" in his work with foreign media.

Alek Sigley, who had been in North Korea since June 25, was an active social media user and a regular contributor to international media, including NK News, about his stay in North Korea.

"The investigation revealed that at the request of the NK News and other anti-DPRK media, he had repeatedly transmitted data and photos that he had collected and analyzed while painting Pyongyang using the identity card of a foreign student," said the North Korean news agency (KCNA) said.

His latest post, published on April 30, describes his culinary experiences in Pyongyang, according to the NK News website.

"The six articles published by Alek represent the full extent of his work among us and the idea that these columns, published transparently under his name between January and April 2019, are of "anti-state nature" is a false statement that we reject", Tchad O'carroll, CEO of NK News, Editor of the Korea Risk Group, said in a statement.

"Alek Sigley's well-read Chronicles presented an apolitical and insightful vision of life in Pyongyang, which we published to show our readers vignettes of the ordinary daily life of the capital," added O'carroll.

KCNA stated that Sigley had acknowledged his "espionage" and had repeatedly asked for his forgiveness. He added that he was expelled from North Korea on Thursday.