North Korea sentences Korean-Canadian pastor to hard labor for life

Hyeon Soo Lim, 60, was accused of trying to overthrow the government in Pyongyang through his religious activities over the past 18 years, China’s Xinhua news agency said.

Hyeon Soo Lim, the head pastor at a Toronto church, has been held by North Korea since February, according to Reuters.

Now, after a brief 90-minute trial, the court found Lim guilty of joining the United States and South Korea in fomenting an anti-North Korean human rights “racket” and fabricating and circulating propaganda tarnishing the North’s image. Last year, North Korea released Korean-American missionary Kenneth Bae and two other Americans leaving Mr. Lim as the only known westerner in custody.

She confirmed in March that Lim had been detained in the country.

Global Affairs Canada spokesperson François Lasalle said in an emailed statement to VICE News that officials tried multiple times to meet with Lim in custody, and that they’re continuing to “request consular access and work towards a resolution of his case”. He has spent a lot of time in North Korea, taking more than 100 trips there, according to his family.

“The family and the church hope for a demonstration of mercy and compassion”, she said.

If true, Lim would be forced into hard labor at a prison camp there.

Lim’s church began its mission in North Korea in 1996, and its charity work was reportedly under the protection of Jang Song-thaek, leader Kim Jong-un’s uncle who was executed by Kim 14 months ago.

Lisa Pak, a spokeswoman for the family, has said Lim had no problems on his previous trips to North Korea.

Prior to his arrest, he had traveled to North Korea on allegedly humanitarian missions since 1997. A second, affiliated church was started in downtown Toronto.

Two delegations from the Canadian Embassy in Seoul held backchannel meetings with North Korean officials in Pyongyang, most recently after Canadian Thanksgiving in October.

Foreign missionaries arrested in North Korea can find themselves facing punishing jail sentences, or used by Pyongyang as leverage to extract concessions or high-profile visits from foreign powers to ensure their release.