Pastor Hyeon Soo Lim, the lead pastor of Light Presbyterian Church in Toronto, has been detained by the North Korean government, and he has not been in contact with family or friends since January 31.
In the midst of the prayer gatherings that have been happening in the U.S. and all over the world on behalf of Pastor Hyeon Soo Lim of Light Presbyterian Church, who has been detained in North Korea, it has been discovered that before Lim made his most recent visit to North Korea, he was contacted by the North Korean government three times.
Currently, the Korean church sees the captivity and detainment of Lim, who spent much of his life to offer humanitarian aid to North Korea, in a critical light. The Korean churches in North America have been careful not to provoke North Korea, but it has been reported that one of the authorities of the North Korean government had contacted Lim three times and asked him to come to North Korea, and once Lim entered North Korea, he was immediately arrested and detained. This fact is likely to bring about a stronger voice of criticism from the Korean church.
According to those involved in the situation, Lim visited North Korea 110 times since 1996, during the period of the North Korean famine, and helped the people by establishing a children's nursery, a nursing home for the elderly, a hospital, an English school, and others. Despite the unpleasant eyes of some toward Lim and the work that he had been doing, Lim continued in his humanitarian ministry, and visited almost all of the Korean churches in North America and some of the Korean churches within South Korea to gather support and funds.
Due to his active involvement in helping the North Korean people, Lim obtained a pass that allowed him to freely go to and from Najin. Lim used this pass and the same route that he had been using to enter into North Korea during his most recent visit on January 30 along with an official from Najin.
Once arriving in Najin, Lim received a request to pay a visit to Pyongyang, which was not part of his initial plans. During a meeting with a high-ranking official in the economy and trade department in the North Korean government, Lim was asked to come to Pyongyang to further discussions.
At the request, Lim asked two questions. First, he informed the official that he has a pass that allows him to enter and exit freely in Najin, but that he is aware he needs a visa to enter into Pyongyang, and asked if he would be able to enter without a visa. The official said that they "will take care of it" and "not to worry about it."
Lim then asked whether he would be allowed to enter Pyongyang during a time in which the government has concerns regarding the Ebola virus. The official again told Lim that the government will take care of it and not to worry. They then made an appointment, and agreed that Lim would return on February 4. Thereafter, Lim left the Najin official that he had been traveling with and traveled alone to Pyongyang.
However, despite the agreement that Lim would come to Beijing by February 4, there was no contact from anyone since his departure. The Najin official that usually traveled with Lim went in to ask about the situation, but the answer that he received was that Lim was quarantined to check for the Ebola virus.
One of the church members of Light Presbyterian Church said that thechurch was confused and frustrated at the allegation that he was under a quarantine, but since they heard that every person who visited North Korea, without exception, had undergone the 21-day quarantine, Lim's church and family members decided to wait.
On February 23, 21 days after Lim entered Pyongyang, the family and church still received no contact from Lim. They reached out to the Canadian government and reported that Lim is missing. The Canadian government then reported to the family on March 5 that Lim is detained by the North Korean government. The Canadian government is unable to directly contact the North Korean government, and thus confirmed Lim's detainment through a third party European government.
Light Presbyterian Church, of which Lim is the senior pastor, has been regularly and consistently praying for Lim's safe return, and prayer movements for Lim have spread throughout North America. The church also asked the public to refrain from any actions that may provoke the North Korean government or hinder the efforts toward Lim's release.
However, as the period of Lim's detainment grows longer, the public's opinion of North Korea is becoming increasingly negative. 20 Christian organizations in South Korea recently formed 'The Council of Christians for Hyeon Soo Lim's Release,' and pointed out, "If this incident is not resolved swiftly, it will bring about deep disappointment to all of the various organizations that have been helping North Korea with humanitarian aid, and may even lead to the decline and/or complete halt of support from these organizations and businesses, so ultimately, it will not be helpful even for North Korea."
