Human rights activists
On 4 August 2009, former US President Bill Clinton visited North Korea in an attempt to free Lee and fellow journalist Laura Ling. The North Korean government pardoned both Lee and Ling after meeting with Clinton that day. It is also said that the equipment and materials they used for their interviews were left behind in the North Korea, and that information about defectors and human rights activists who helped them in their interviews was obtained by the North Korean authorities, putting them in danger. Human rights activists in South Korea accused Lee and Ling of placing North Korean refugees in danger through their actions.