Relationship dossier
Canada
North Korea
Relationship assessment
Restrictive Canadian policy and a serious consular dispute mark a politically distant relationship.
Canada toward North Korea
-40Canada adopted a policy in 2010 limiting engagement with North Korea largely to consular matters and has imposed sanctions on the country.
North Korea toward Canada
-30North Korea detained Canadian pastor Hyeon Soo Lim in 2015 and sentenced him to life imprisonment with hard labour. He was released in 2017 after Canadian officials travelled to Pyongyang.
Overall relationship
-35The relationship is shaped by Canada's restrictive engagement policy and sanctions, alongside North Korea's detention of a Canadian citizen and his eventual release following Canadian intervention. These features outweigh the limited consular engagement and do not indicate a broad cooperative partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Canada has pursued a restrictive policy toward North Korea, including sanctions and a 2010 policy limiting bilateral engagement largely to consular matters. North Korea detained Canadian pastor Hyeon Soo Lim in 2015 and sentenced him to life imprisonment with hard labour; he was released in 2017 after Canadian officials travelled to Pyongyang. These episodes reflect sustained political distance and a serious consular dispute, with limited bilateral cooperation.
Areas of tension
- Canadian sanctions and restrictions on bilateral engagement
- North Korea's detention and sentencing of Canadian pastor Hyeon Soo Lim
Key developments
Canada adopted a policy limiting engagement with North Korea largely to consular matters.
North Korea sentenced Canadian pastor Hyeon Soo Lim to life imprisonment with hard labour.
North Korea released Hyeon Soo Lim after Canadian officials travelled to Pyongyang.
Major uncertainties
- The scope of continuing Canadian consular engagement with North Korea is unclear.
- Details of North Korean government cooperation with Canada beyond the release of Hyeon Soo Lim are limited.