North Korea unexpectedly releases Canadian prisoner

A Canadian pastor imprisoned in North Korea has been released after serving two and a half years.

North Korea's state news agency KCNA said Hyeon Soo Lim was released on sick leave on August 9 for humanitarian reasons.

Hyeon Soo Lim stands trial in North Korea in December 2015. Photo: KCNA/Reuters

According to CNN, the pastor's son, James Lim, received a notification over the weekend that a plane carrying senior Canadian officials, a doctor and a letter addressed to leader Kim Jong Un had been dispatched to Pyongyang "at the last minute." The plane landed in the North Korean capital on August 7.

Hyeon Soo Lim, also known as Rim Hyon Su, is a pastor at one of the largest churches in Canada. He is the longest-held Western prisoner in North Korea.

"Rim Hyon Su, a Canadian citizen, was released on bail after paying bail according to the decision of the Central Court of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on August 9," KCNA announced.

Hyeon Soo Lim was sentenced to life in prison with hard labor after being convicted of subversion by North Korea in December 2015. The 62-year-old's health had deteriorated while in prison, and he had lost weight rapidly.

North Korea released Lim amid heightened tensions on the peninsula after President Donald Trump warned of “fire and fury” for any threat to the US. Pyongyang immediately said it was considering a military strike on the US territory of Guam.

Lim’s family has repeatedly called for his release following the death of American student Otto Warmbier in June. Warmbier was traveling in North Korea when he was arrested in early 2016 and later accused of attempting to steal a propaganda banner from his hotel. He died just six days after being released back to the US from brain damage sustained while in prison.

In several letters to family, friends and church members in Mississauga, Ontario, Pastor Lim complained of stomach aches and high blood pressure. His family was not allowed to see him but were able to send letters and blood pressure medication to him through the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang.

Lim was arrested in February 2015 while doing humanitarian work in Rajin, North Korea. He represented the Light Korean Presbyterian Church, which he had led since 1986. According to his family, he had made more than 100 trips to North Korea since 1997.

According to Vietnamnet.vn