August 10, 2017 10:34
North Korea on Wednesday said it has released Korean-Canadian pastor Lim Hyeon-soo for humanitarian reasons.
Lim was arrested in 2015 for alleged crimes against the state -- code for proselytizing -- and sentenced to life in prison with hard labor.
But the North's official Korean Central News Agency said a court ordered Lim's release on sick bail "from the humanitarian viewpoint."
Lim's release was apparently won by a special delegation sent by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday.
In June of this year, U.S. university student Otto Warmbier was released from North Korea in a comatose state and died shortly after his return to the U.S.
Six South Koreans and three Americans are still being held in North Korean prisons.
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