Canadian Pastor Releases Statement Saying He 'Slandered Supreme Dignity' of North Korea

A Canadian pastor who has been detained in North Korea for the past six months made his first public announcement from the country's capital this week, saying that he has "malignantly defamed the dignity and social system" of the isolated Asian country.

The Rev. Hyeon Soo Lim, pastor of Light Korean Presbyterian Church in Toronto, made his comments at a recent press conference in Pyongyang claimed that he attempted to corrupt North Korea's government by entering the country illegally before his arrest last February.

"The most serious crimes I have committed are that I severely slandered and impaired the supreme dignity and system of this country and perpetrated a scheme to overthrow the state," Lim said during the press conference.

"In order to create the impression that it is God, and not the Worker's Party and this country's government which give things to eat and provide means to live, we intentionally drew the cross and wrote the name of the church and Bible phrases on the sacks of provisions that were donated to several parts of the country such as Chongjin and Jagang Province," Lim continued, as reported by The Christian Post.

"The purpose that I travelled about several parts of the country on the pretext of 'aid' was to build a base to overthrow the system," Lim added.

As multiple media outlets report, westerners being held in North Korea have previously given similar statements at state-run press conferences, later saying they were pressured to do so by the North Korean government.

Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development released a statement calling Lim's case "deeply [concerning]."

"We continue to advocate for consular access and for a resolution in his case," Diana Khaddaj, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, said in a statement.