Pyongyang, North Korea, Dec 16, 2015 / 17:19 pm
North Korea has sentenced Hyeon Soo Lim, a Christian pastor and a Canadian citizen, to life in prison with hard labor, claiming he has committed crimes against the state.
Canada's foreign ministry said it was "dismayed at the unduly harsh sentence," citing Lim's age and health, the BBC reports.
Lim, who is 60 years old, was in North Korea for humanitarian work in January. He was arrested in Pyongyang in February.
The pastor is of South Korean origin and lives in Toronto, where he heads the Light Korean Presbyterian Church. His family said he had traveled to the isolated country to support a nursing home, a nursery, and an orphanage, and that his trips were not political.