Canadian pastor detained in North Korea

A Canadian church is asking the world to pray for its pastor’s quick release from North Korea, where he was detained last month while on a humanitarian trip.

The Rev. Hyeon Soo Lim, 60, pastors the Light Korean Presbyterian Church near Toronto, a 3,000 member congregation. He travels regularly to North Korea to help support a nursery, orphanage, and nursing home. He arrived in North Korea from China on Jan. 30, and his traveling companion last spoke to him the next day. He was supposed to return home on Feb. 4.

Lisa Pak, a church spokeswoman, confirmed the pastor is facing charges but could not say what they were. She insisted he would not have been proselytizing, which is illegal in the communist country.

“He knows the language, he knows the nature of the government, so we don’t see that as a legitimate reason that he would be detained,” she said. “We don’t believe that’s the way he would have behaved. He’s very wise about that.”

According to the church, Lim has made more than 100 trips to North Korea. He immigrated to Canada from South Korea in 1986 with his wife and son.

The Canadian government has confirmed Lim’s detention but would not provide any other details about the case.

“Canada has long advised and continues to advise against any and all travel by Canadians to North Korea,” a spokeswoman for the Canadian government said. “Canadians should not travel to North Korea under any circumstance. As there is no resident Canadian Government office in the country, the ability of Canadian officials to provide consular assistance is extremely limited.”

North Korea has a habit of detaining Westerners, especially those with ties to the church. Late last year, the regime released three Americans, two of whom were Christians. In October, Jeffrey Fowle gained his freedom after a six-month detention for leaving a Bible in a restaurant bathroom. In November, North Korea freed Matthew Miller, sentenced in September to six years hard labor for entering the country illegally, and missionary Kenneth Bae, sentenced in 2012 to 15 years hard labor for anti-government activities.

In March, the regime released a 75-year-old Australian missionary, arrested for handing out Bibles in public, after holding him for just a few weeks. John Short begged for his freedom in a propaganda video in which he apologized for offending the North Korean people.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.