[3] Initially, the league was denied permission to send a delegation by South Korean authorities (the Roh Tae-woo administration).

An itinerary was carefully planned to get her into North Korea without attracting the attention of South Korean intelligence.

[citation needed] Lim's legacy took two separate trajectories in South Korea, where her reputation was tarnished as she was seen to have embarrassed her country's authorities, and in the North, where she is considered a hero.

[6] In June 2012, in a confrontation with a North Korean defector in a bar, Lim hurled insults and referred to ruling party lawmaker Ha Tae-keung as a "son-of-a-bitch betrayer" and another as a "traitor" in what was described by Korea JoongAng Daily as "an alcohol-fueled tirade at a Seoul restaurant", questioning their legitimacy to challenge her as a lawmaker.

[7] The Argentinian filmmaker José Luis García made the 2012 documentary La chica del sur ("The Girl From the South") on Lim and his experience at the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students, where he met her.

La chica del sur tries to show the development of her thoughts and character after years of media attention, prison, the tragic death of her son and divorce.