Among the first questions Hyeon Soo Lim asked when he landed in Toronto after more than two years of gruelling work and isolation in a North Korean labour camp were “Which funerals did I miss?” and “Donald Trump is president?”“He didn’t know,” about the U.S. election or the current situation with North Korea, church spokesperson Lisa Pak said Sunday as congregants gathered hours before the service where Lim was to make his first public appearance at the Light Presbyterian Church in Mississauga. Inside, the air was buzzing with expectation as people held hands and clutched their phones, staking out their spot for their first look at Lim. The room erupted with applause and chants of “our pastor,” as 62-year-old Lim, known for his ability to connect with people and his sense of humour, walked inside, dressed in a black suit with his hair closely shorn. He raised both hands and smiled widely.Lim is passionate about North Korea and has visited the country more than 100 times on mission trips, bringing in food, and visiting orphanages and a seniors’ nursing home. He was taken into custody on one such trip in January 2015, and was sentenced to life in a labour camp for allegedly conducting subversive actions against leader Kim Jong Un. For the last two and a half years the congregation has been praying for his release, many worried about his health. On Sunday, those prayers were answered with Lim’s first public address.“I’m really very deeply grateful and moved,” Lim said after the service, as Pak translated. “Because of all the love, compassion, comfort and prayers from the Canadian people I believe I am here. It’s a miracle for me to be here today.” The electric atmosphere continued during the service. Every seat in the church was filled as Lim sat in the front row with his family, including his granddaughter who was born while he was imprisoned, her ...
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