Pastor who was freed by North Korea recounts 'overwhelming loneliness' during his incarceration

Canadian pastor Hyeon Soo Lim, who was recently freed by North Korea after more than two years in jail, recounted the "overwhelming loneliness" he experienced while he was incarcerated in a labor camp.

On Sunday, congregants gathered at the Light Presbyterian Church in Mississauga to catch their first glimpse of Lim in over two years. The church had been praying for his release since he was taken into custody in North Korea in January 2015.

Lim, 62, spoke publicly at the church for the first time on Sunday since his release from imprisonment.

In a prepared statement, the pastor revealed that he had been hospitalized four times during his incarceration. He recounted that he was forced to dig holes in the frozen ground outside and had to break apart coal inside a facility.

In the statement, released before he spoke at the church, Lim talked about the "difficult moments" he suffered and describe the "overwhelming loneliness" he experienced in detention.

"From the first day of my detainment to the day I was released, I ate 2,757 meals in isolation by myself. It was difficult to see when and how the entire ordeal would end," he said, according to CBC News.

"During the winter, I had to dig holes that measured one metre wide and one metre deep. The ground was frozen. The mud was so hard that it took two days to dig one hole. It was incredibly challenging. My upper body was sweating; My fingers and toes were frostbitten. I also worked inside a coal storage facility, breaking apart coal," he added.

The pastor recounted that the hard physical labor took such a toll on his body that he was once hospitalized for two months.

He said that he kept himself busy by reading more than 100 books on North Korea, reading the Bible in English and in Korean five times, memorizing more than 700 verses, and worshipping alone on 130 Sundays.

"While I was labouring, I prayed without ceasing," he said, adding that his moments of "discouragement, resentment and grumbling" turned into "courage, joy and thanksgiving."

Lim's son noted that he had lost about 50 pounds during his incarceration, but said that the pastor appeared to be in "good health."

The pastor's release came after a Canadian delegation, led by Prime Minister 's national security adviser Daniel Jean, flew to Pyongyang on Aug. 7 to discuss his case. By Wednesday, the North Korean regime announced that Lim would be released on humanitarian grounds.

Lim's family and supporters said that he had made more than 100 trips to North Korea since 1997. They had maintained that Lim's trips to the communist country were about helping people and were not political.