Jailed Canadian pastor in North Korea hospitalized due to failing health
Jailed Canadian pastor Hyeon Soo Lim has been undergoing treatment at a hospital in North Korea since August due to his deteriorating health.
Lim, pastor of Light Presbyterian Church in Toronto, has been detained in North Korea since January 2015. According to United Press International, the pastor received a sentence of life imprisonment with hard labor in December last year.
Canadian diplomats revealed that Lim has been in the hospital for the past two months. The pastor's family was informed about his condition by the Canadian foreign ministry.
Lim's family had been worried about his health since January when the pastor appeared in an interview with CNN.
"At that time, there were concerns about his health. At this point, we are very concerned that his health may have declined and those concerns are heightened precisely because we have no information," said Lisa Pak, a spokesperson for Lim's family.
When the pastor was asked in the interview with CNN if there is anything he needs, he replied: "Nothing much, just a Bible. I have requested one, but it has not arrived yet. I also really need letters from my family. I have received letters twice from my family."
Lim said that he sent a letter to his family through Swedish diplomats in Pyongyang but a family spokesperson said they have not received the pastor's letter.
The pastor traveled to North Korea 110 times for two decades to perform humanitarian work. He aided in the construction of nursing homes and child-care centers in the communist country.
When Lim was charged for "undertaking a special plot to overthrow the state," a North Korean prosecutor allegedly demanded a death sentence but it was overruled. The sentence was reportedly reduced so the pastor would live to witness the reunification of the two Koreas.
Canadian Foreign Minister Stéphane Dion was able to meet with North Korean official Ri Yong Ho in Laos last July to discuss Lim's case.
Last month, the congregation of Light Presbyterian Church in Mississauga, Ontario, made a plea to the Canadian government to secure Lim's release.
