North Korea 'appalled' by Canada's reaction to pastor's sentence

SEOUL, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- North Korea lambasted the Canadian government for criticizing Pyongyang's decision to sentence a Toronto pastor to life imprisonment with hard labor 10 months after taking him into custody.

A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman told KCNA Tuesday the Canadian government's remarks could "make the situation more complicated," Yonhap reported.

"The Canadian government is inciting a quarrel by blaming our fair judicial measures of creating 'concern,' and 'violating international law,' when it is their citizen that has committed an unscrupulous criminal act...we can only be appalled," the spokesman said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had expressed "tremendous concern" at Hyeon Soo Lim's sentence, adding, "The issues of North Korea's governance and judicial system are well known."

North Korea has said the defendant received a life sentence with hard labor and was found guilty of violating Pyongyang's Criminal Law Article 60, or conspiring to overthrow the Kim Jong Un regime. Pyongyang added there were "witnesses" who had evidence of Lim's wrongdoing.

Canadian diplomats based in Seoul were allowed to travel to the North to meet with Lim, the pastor, a spokeswoman for Lim's Toronto church said Sunday.

Lisa Pak said Lim cried when diplomats passed on a message from his son, who had said, "We're all proud of you," the Toronto Sun reported.

The diplomats met with Lim on Friday, after a prayer meeting was held in Toronto that drew more than 1,000 parishioners.

The church also has launched a petition asking United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to travel to North Korea to seek Lim's release.

Ban recently said the U.N. and Pyongyang are in travel negotiations, making it likely that during the visit Ban could request the release of Lim.

Lim supported the construction of nursing homes and childcare centers in North Korea. He last traveled to North Korea on Jan. 27, but has traveled to North Korea 110 times for humanitarian work, according to Light Presbyterian Church in Toronto.