Canadian pastor still held in North Korea

A Canadian pastor of South Korean descent is still being interrogated in North Korea, where he has been held for almost a year, his fellow pastor has told VOA.

Rev. Hyeon-soo Lim, who leads the Light Presbyterian Church in Toronto, Canada, has been detained by the North Korean government and has not been in contact with family or friends since January 31.

His fellow pastor, Lisa Pak, said Canadian officials have visited Pyongyang and met with North Korean authorities twice since Lim’s detention, but have not made any meaningful progress.

Back in July, Lim made his first public appearance at a news conference in Pyongyang. Reading from a statement, he confessed to activities aimed at toppling the North Korean government and to violating the country’s Ebola quarantine policy.

His fellow Christians believe that to be a forced confession by the North.

Lim traveled into North Korea from China on January 30, to aid projects established by his church in the northeastern city of Rajin. The projects include aiding an orphanage, a nursery and a nursing home. Lim had previously visited the North more than 100 times.

This entry was posted in Humanitarian Aid and Relief, Prison Camps by Grant Montgomery.