A Mississauga pastor who was released from a North Korean prison earlier this month is publicly speaking about his time in captivity for the first time, telling CP24 that he was kept in isolation and forced to dig holes in the frozen ground in the winter as part of his sentence
Hyeong Soo Lim was released on Aug. 9 on what North Korean state media described as “sick bail.”
Lim’s release came two-and-a-half years after he was arrested and handed a life sentence of hard labour for alleged crimes against the state.
Prior to his arrest, Lim had made 104 trips to North Korea to do humanitarian work, all without incident.
Speaking through a translator at the Light Korean Presbyterian Church on Saturday, Lim said that one of the hardest things about his time in captivity was being kept in isolation. He said he ate nearly 3,000 meals alone and was only kept going by his faith in God and belief that he would one day be released.
“I really felt the presence of God with me so that was really helpful in overcoming,” he said.
Lim told CP24 that he was made to dig holes while in captivity, often in the winter when the ground was frozen. He said he also had to break down coal so it could be used as a fuel source.
His release earlier this month came only after a Canadian delegation visited North Korea to discuss his case with officials.
Lim said when he finally did return to Canada he was filled with “overwhelming joy,” especially upon meeting a granddaughter that had been born while he was in captivity.
“Once I was reunited with my family it was really impressed upon me the fact that family is precious,” he said.
The charges filed against Lim included harming the dignity of the supreme leadership, trying to use religion to destroy the North Korean system, disseminating negative propaganda about the North to overseas Koreans, and assisting American and South Korean efforts to help people defect from the north.
