Mr. Lee Hak Su was arrested on 23 January 2009 by the military of North Korea without a warrant being presented and transferred to the office of the Security Bureau for investigation. Mr. Lee, his family, and his lawyers have not been informed of the reason for the deprivation of his liberty. A source reports that his activity - doing business with China - was assumed to be an act of espionage. Subsequently, Mr. Lee was transferred to Yodok prison camp, where he is believed to remain. North Korea reported that the case had no relevance to North Korea.
The WGAD found that the deprivation of liberty of Mr. Lee to be in contravention of articles 3, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the UDHR and articles 2 (3), 9, 14 and 16 of the ICCPR and arbitrary, falling within category I. The WGAD requested North Korea to release Mr. Lee immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation.