Hyeon was sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour.
A Canadian pastor, who was arrested in North Korea last year for allegedly plotting to overthrow the state, is presently hospitalized because of poor health. According to Canadian diplomats, Hyeon Soo Lim has been receiving treatment in the hospital since August.
Hyeon, a pastor of Light Presbyterian Church in Toronto, had gone missing in January 2015. The following month, news of his arrest broke out, reporting that North Korean officials accused him of committing crimes against the state. In August 2015, North Korean state news released a video of Hyeon confessing to the alleged crimes. However, those monitoring persecution noticed that he appeared to be reading from a script, raising suspicions that the pastor had been coerced into confessing the crimes.
In December of that same year, after a brief trial, Hyeon was sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour. The pastor is in his 60s, and many people -- including his family -- expressed concerns over his health.
For almost 20 years, Hyeon has been involved in humanitarian work in North Korea, where he helped establish orphanages and nursing homes. By the time of his arrest, he had travelled to the country more than a hundred times. During an interview with CNN in January, Hyeon said he was required to work eight hours a day, six days a week, in the labour camp. He dug holes for the planting of apple trees. "I hope I can go home someday," Hyeon added. "Nobody knows if I will ever go home, but that is my hope. I miss my family. I am longing to see them again, and my congregation."
Please pray for Pastor Hyeon during his time of need. Ask the Lord not only to heal him physically, but to also comfort him in his longing to be with family. May he be released from imprisonment at the labour camp so he can return safely home -- whole in both body and spirit. Intercede for Pastor Hyeon's captors that they may come to know Christ through his testimony, and thus receive the assurance of God's salvation and promise of eternity.
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