SEOUL (Reuters) - The highest court of North Korea condemned on Wednesday a Canadian pastor born in South Korea to hard labor for life, for subversion, said the North Korean official news agency, KCNA.
Hyeon Soo Lim, chief pastor of a Toronto church that is one of Canada's largest, was arrested by North Korea in February. Earlier this year he appeared on state media of the country confessing crimes against the state.
Lim admitted during the trial that "not only viciously slandered the highest authority of North Korea and his regime, but also had the nefarious intent of trying to overthrow the Republic by staging an anti-state conspiracy," said the KCNA.
According to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, the court said Lim had tried to overthrow the North Korean government and pledged their social system with "religious activities" in the last 18 years.
Prosecutors had requested the death penalty, but the defense asked for mercy, despite the "seriousness of their crimes," so he can "witness for yourself the reality of the nation of the sun as it grows in power and prosperity," said KCNA. The court sentenced him to hard labor for life.
KCNA did not mention the specific activities that Lim was involved, but according to Xinhua, he confessed to helping people to desert of North Korea, and met with the US Ambassador to Mongolia to deal with it.
Most defectors isolated North Korea, a country with strong repressive regime, they go to South Korea via China and Southeast Asian countries. It is also possible defect via Mongolia.
The court found that he fabricated propaganda as part of an action led by the United States and South Korea as part of "noise about human rights" against the country, Xinhua said.
The Canadian government declined to comment.
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