Detained Canadian Pastor Hospitalized


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.

  • Current Ministry Project

    VOMC assists in the education and training of North Korean Christians to enable them to reach fellow North Koreans with the Gospel wherever they are found. VOMC also works with proven ministry partners who are broadcasting quality radio programs to equip and encourage believers of the North Korean underground church.

    Project Fund: Underground Church

  • Country Information

    Population
    26,072,217 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese

    Religion (%)
    Juche (99) Christian (1)

    Leader
    Kim Jong-Un (2011)

    Government type
    Dictatorship, single-party state

    Legal system
    Based on Prussian civil law system with Japanese traditions and Communist legal theory

    Source: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for North Korea

    Pray for the safety of the country's refugees – including those who are hiding in various parts of China, as they are frequently being hunted by Chinese and North Korean agents. Ask the Lord to also protect and strengthen believers faithfully serving within North Korea, granting them wisdom as they seek ways to effectively communicate the hope of the Gospel so the church can continue to grow. And like the Apostle Paul, may the country's primary political leader, Kim Jong Un, experience a profound life-changing encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ who is longing to extend love, mercy and forgiveness toward him (Acts 9).

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North Korea News

  • Court Ruling Permits Balloon Launches
    Two people are filling a very large balloon
    Photo: VOMK

    Since 2005, The Voice of the Martyrs Korea VOMK has used large balloons to carry Bibles and Scripture pamphlets into the restricted nation of North Korea. However, in 2020, the South Korean government passed a law criminalizing the use of balloons after negotiations with the North Korean government. (See this report for more details on the restriction.)

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  • Balloon Launches Officially Banned
    Filling balloons for North Korea
    Photo: VOMK

    Since 2005, The Voice of the Martyrs Korea (VOMK) has used balloon launches as an effective way of getting Bibles into North Korea. Recent surveys indicate that an increasing percentage of North Korean defectors have also been given access to the Scriptures. Many of those Bibles may well have come through VOMK, whose distribution outreaches sent approximately 600,000 Bibles into the country over the years. It has been the only major organization supplying religious materials across the border.

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  • Bible Launches Met with Resistance
    Foleys and police - Photo: Voice of the Martyrs Korea
    Photo: Voice of the Martyrs Korea

    For several years, The Voice of the Martyrs Korea has helped get Bibles into North Korea. Typically, this was done through the launch of large balloons, which would strategically drop the contained materials across the border. Recently, members of the ministry team have also begun using bottles filled with rice, vitamins and small Bibles to bless those residing in North Korea. These bottles were systematically sent while the timing of the tide was just right so they would float along the western coast to their intended destination.

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  • Bible Used to Track Defectors
    Korean English parallel Bible
    God's Word is so powerful, it's life-transforming!

    In an attempt to monitor defectors, North Korean secret police agents have been studying the Bible. The purpose is for them to be able to gain rapport and trust with defectors in China and South Korea. In so doing, they hope to gain information on the whereabouts of other defectors, as well as ways to track and monitor them.

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North Korea Videos

 
The Three Colours of Martyrdom (Part One)
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North Korea: Balloons with Bibles Banned
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Dr. Eric Foley - The impact of COVID 19 on the church in North Korea
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Dr. Eric Foley - “Do we need Money and Freedom to do God’s Work?”
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Dr. Eric Foley - The Bottle Project
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North Korea: The Dangers of Following Jesus Inside the ''Hermit Kingdom''
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