A Canadian pastor recently released from North Korea publicly spoke about the harsh conditions he experienced during his 31-month imprisonment for the first time on Saturday. 

Lim Hyeon-soo told Canadian broadcaster CP24 that one of the hardest things about his time in captivity was being kept in isolation. He said he ate nearly three-thousand meals alone but that his faith in God and the belief that he would be released one day kept him going. 

He said he had to dig holes, often in the winter when the ground was frozen, and break down coal so it could be used as a fuel source.

Lim, who was released on 'sick bail' in early August, said that he was filled with "overwhelming joy" upon his return to Canada, especially when he met his granddaughter for the first time, who was born while he was being held in the North. 

Lim was arrested by the North in 2015 and sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labor on charges of devising subversive plots against the North Korean regime.

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