ICC Note:

Canadian diplomats were allowed to visit a Canadian pastor that is serving a life sentence in a North Korean labor camp. The pastor had entered North Korea more than 100 times where he had helped to build an orphanage and a nursing home when he was arrested for subversion of the state. His family is concerned about his health which has deteriorated during his sentence. He spends his days digging holes for the prison and is held in isolation from the other prisoners. The diplomats said that, “This case is absolutely a priority for us.”

12/19/2016 North Korea (Reuters) – Diplomats from Canada this week paid a rare visit to North Korea and were able to see a Canadian pastor serving a life sentence for subversion, a foreign ministry official said on Thursday.

Hyeon Soo Lim, who served at one of the largest churches in Canada, was sentenced to hard labor for life in December 2015 for what North Korea says was an attempt to overthrow the regime.

Chantal Gagnon, a spokeswoman for Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion, confirmed a report by North Korea’s KCNA news agency that said the diplomats visited the country from Tuesday until Thursday and saw Lim.

“We are still very concerned about his health, well-being and continued detention and are ‎working actively to secure his release,” she said.

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