Canadian pastor sees his release from North Korea as goodwill gesture

Pastor Hyeon Soo Lim, who returned to Canada from North Korea after the DPRK released Lim on August 9, after being held for 31 months, arrives at the Light Presbyterian Church in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, August 13, 2017. REUTERS/Mark Blinch

TORONTO (Reuters) - A 62-year-old Canadian pastor held in a North Korean prison for more than 2 1/2 years said he suspected his life sentence was commuted last week to help reduce pressure on Pyongyang.

"I believe (North Korean leader) Kim Jung Un let me go as a gesture of goodwill in the face of so much rhetoric," Hyeon Soo Lim told a packed worship hall in a Toronto suburb on Sunday.