article_snippet: (CNN)A Canadian pastor, who went to North Korea on a humanitarian trip in late January, is being held in the reclusive Communist state, his family said early Thursday.
article_snippet: his family said his family received notice from Canadian officials that Pyongyang has confirmed that the pastor is being held.
article_snippet: Previously, North Korea has detained Westerners on religious grounds.
article_snippet: Cases include American Kenneth Bae, who was detained for two years after North Korea accused Rev. Hyeon Soo Lim of trying to bring down the government through religious activities.
article_snippet: Another American, Jeffrey Fowle, was arrested after leaving a Bible at a club in North Korea and released after five months in detention.
article_snippet: Aijalon Mahli Gomes, a U.S. citizen sentenced to eight years of hard labor and believed to be a Christian activist, was released from North Korea in 2010 after a visit to Pyongyang by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
article_snippet: CNN's KJ Kwon contributed to this report from Seoul, North Korea, and Tina Burnside from Atlanta.
highlights_snippet: North Korea has detained Westerners on religious grounds.