Hong Kong ( CNN ) A Canadian pastor is missing after going on a trip to North Korea in late January , his family and church say . The Rev . Hyeon Soo Lim , 60 , went to North Korea on a humanitarian trip as he had done over a hundred times before , said Lisa Pak , a spokeswoman for his church , based in Mississauga , Ontario . On January 30 , Lim traveled to North Korea from China with a companion from the church who last spoke with him the following day . Lim was scheduled to return February 4 from what was described as a `` routine '' trip to Rajin , in northeastern North Korea , where his church supports a nursery , orphanage and nursing home , according to the Light Korean Presbyterian Church . So far he has failed to show . The church has formally requested help in finding Lim from Canada 's Department of Foreign Affairs , and has contacted the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang , which provides consular help for citizens of the United States , Canada and Australia , which do not have diplomatic ties with North Korea . After not hearing from Lim , Pak said they thought he could have been caught up in North Korea 's recent Ebola policy . Lim 's church and family waited the 21-day incubation period that he would have been under quarantine . In October , North Korea announced it was taking `` preventive measures '' to `` control the infection by Ebola . '' Tour groups to North Korea announced that the country would restrict its borders to international tourists because of concerns about Ebola . This week , tour groups indicated that North Korea may be easing its Ebola policy . Tour operators , including Koryo Tours , Young Pioneers Tours and Uri Tours , announced on their websites that the country would ease its ban on foreign tourists . Nick Bonner , Koryo Tour 's co-founder and director , told CNN on Tuesday , `` We 're pleased to announce that today marks the first time in more than four months that tourism in North Korea begins to resume as normal . '' Lim 's family released a statement , thanking the Canadian government for its efforts to find the pastor and asking for privacy . In 1986 , Lim immigrated to Canada from South Korea with his wife and son . He speaks fluent Korean and leads a 3,000-member church . Pak , the church 's spokeswoman , said she does n't believe Lim would have engaged in any type of proselytizing , which is prohibited in North Korea . `` He knows the language , he knows the nature of the government , so we do n't see that as a legitimate reason that he would be detained , '' she said . `` We do n't believe that 's the way he would have behaved . He 's very wise about that . '' Previously , North Korea has detained Westerners on religious grounds . Cases include American Kenneth Bae , who was detained for two years after North Korea accused him of trying to bring down the government through religious activities . Bae was released in November . Another American , Jeffrey Fowle , was arrested after leaving a Bible at a club in North Korea and released after five months in detention . 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 . CNN 's KJ Kwon contributed to this report from Seoul , South Korea .
Canadian pastor is reported missing by his family after a trip to North Korea . # Soo ##won , however , speaks Korean fluently and has visited North Korea numerous times . Tour groups : North Korea is easing its Ebola policy .