North Korea unexpectedly releases Canadian prisoner.

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

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

Hyeon Soo Lim appeared in court in North Korea in December 2015. Photo: KCNA/Reuters

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

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

"Rim Hyon Su, a Canadian citizen, has been released on bail after posting a bond as ordered by the North Korean Central Court on August 9," KCNA announced.

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

North Korea released Pastor Lim amid soaring tensions on the peninsula after President Donald Trump warned he would respond to any threat against the US with "fire and fury." Pyongyang immediately announced it was considering a military attack on the US island of Guam.

Pastor Lim's family has repeatedly called on North Korea to release him following the death of American student Otto Warmbier in June. Warmbier was traveling in North Korea when he was arrested in early 2016, subsequently accused of intentionally stealing a propaganda banner from his hotel. The student died just six days after his release and return to the United States, due to brain damage sustained in prison.

In several letters sent 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 could send letters and blood pressure medication through the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang.

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

According to Vietnamnet.vn