Student released by North Korea denies being a spy

An Australian student who was held in North Korea for a week and then deported has denied being a spy and expressed sorrow that he won’t be able to return to finish his graduate studies at Kim Il Sung University.

North Korea said on Saturday that it detained Alek Sigley because he had spread anti-state propaganda and engaged in spying by providing photos and other materials to news organizations with critical views toward the North. It said it deported Sigley last Thursday after he pleaded for forgiveness for his activities.

Sigley spoke briefly to reporters after being deported but didn’t say what had happened to him.

In a series of tweets Tuesday, Sigley said the allegation he was a spy “is (pretty obviously) false.”