“Finally, we ask the global community for your continued support in prayers”, Pak said. “The issues of North Korea’s governance and judicial system are well-known and we are very concerned about someone being sentenced to life in North Korea”. “We certainly hope to be able to engage with this individual and stand up for his rights”.
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“Even if Lim’s confession of his accused crime is true, please understand that it was done as part of his efforts to serve North Korean people”.
The Canadian government said it wants Lim’s rights to be respected and for him to return home.
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.
Lim entered and left the court in handcuffs flanked by two public security officers in uniform.
Speaking on behalf of the defendant, 60, North Korea said Hyeon had admitted to his wrongdoing: adopting South Korea’s anti-Pyongyang hostile actions by “insulting [North Korea’s] highest dignity and its system with vicious slander” and “harboring ill will and attempting to take down [North Korea]”.
The prosecution had sought the death penalty but the defence had requested leniency despite the gravity of his crimes “so that he can witness for himself the reality of the nation of the Sun as it grows in power and prosperity”, said KCNA.
According to the court, Soo Lim confessed to all the charges and showed “deep remorse”, Xinhua said.
Earlier this year, he had appeared on North Korean state media confessing to crimes against the state.
The Canadian government also declined to comment. A second, affiliated church was started in downtown Toronto. Head of one of Canada’s largest churches, Lim was held by the North in February when undertaking one of his more than one-hundred aid trips to the communist state.
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The pastor, who is of South Korean origin, lives in Toronto but has traveled to Pyongyang for humanitarian aid missions for almost two decades. It is known to be used for propaganda purposes but run by state-monitored religious associations. “This is a case that deserves an active Canadian engagement”. Merely leaving a Bible in a public place can lead to arrest and possibly severe punishment.
