Canadian diplomats get access to jailed pastor in North Korea

On Tuesday, a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman lashed out against Canadian officials in a quote to Korea’s KCNA news agency.

Last week, South Korea-born Canadian pastor, Hyeon Soo-lim, was sentenced to life in jail after being found guilty of joining a human rights campaign by the United States and South Korea against North Korea.

Like Bae, Lim is believed to be suffering from health problems according to the Light Korean Presbyterian Church, based near Toronto.

Soo Lim, who is the pastor at one of Canada’s largest churches, was charged with a number of crimes including harming the dignity of the supreme leadership, using religion to destroy the North Korean system and disseminating negative propaganda about the North. He’s also accused of helping US and the South Korean authorities lure and abduct North Korean citizens, along with aiding their programs to assist defectors from the North.

He originally travelled to the communist country in January as part of a humanitarian mission and has been in detention since February. However, his statement is considered unreliable as others who have previously been detained in North Korea have said they were forced to make false confessions.

Rev. Lisa Pak, a spokesman for Lim’s family said in an odd way the fact that the pastor has been finally sentenced opens the way to try reach a diplomatic settlement with North Korea.

“The issues of North Korea’s governance and judicial system are well known”, he said.

He was sentenced on Wednesday, a ruling Canada called “unduly harsh”.

Jang cautioned that while the news was a positive step, if North Korea is open to negotiating Lim’s release, it’s likely there will be conditions.

On Friday, a translator and two officials from Seoul’s Canadian embassy were granted access to Lim and Pak said they were glad to see the pastor “at peace” and seemingly healthy. Lim has visited the country more than 100 times since 1997 and supported a nursing home, an orphanage and a nursery in the country.

“This is a serious violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the right of states to have consular access to their citizens”, she said. “We continue to work towards a resolution of his case”, Mr. Babcock said.

Representatives for the Canadian government did not respond to a request for comment.

Christian missionaries have a history of being detained in North Korea. “The Canadian government has no legal justifications whatsoever to find fault with the DPRK”.