SYDNEY: Australian student Alek Sigley, a 29-year-old student living in Pyongyang, has been detained in North Korea, reports say.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has not identified the man due to privacy obligations.

It said it was providing consular assistance to “the family of an Australian man who has been reported as being detained in North Korea”.

“It certainly is a very serious set of circumstances,” Attorney-General Christian Porter told a Perth radio station on Thursday.

The government said embassy representatives in South Korea had contacted “relevant officials” in North Korea.

It is not known why the man may have been detained. Mr Sigley’s friends reported him missing earlier this week, the Australian Broadcasting Corp said. (Agencies)