A North Korean defector who lifted the lid on his country’s brutal concentration camps said he is being denied the right to leave the UK to see his four daughters because the Home Office has refused to issue him a passport.

The 75-year-old, known as Mr Lee, made news late last year when he spoke of the horrific practices at Hwasong concentration camp, or Camp 16, in an interview with Amnesty International.

Before his escape, Mr Lee was a guard at the forced labour camp where he said captives were made to dig their own graves and women were raped and then executed.

Mr Lee came to the UK in 2007 and was granted British citizenship last year.

He now wants to visit his four daughters in South Korea who he has not seen since he escaped his home country more than a decade ago.

Mr Lee applied for a UK passport in 2014 and attended an interview where he said he was told he would only have to wait a few weeks for his new documents to arrive.

However, he has since found out his application was withdrawn and is yet to receive an explanation why. Speaking through a translator Mr Lee said: “It was one of the best days of my life when I was granted British citizenship. I was so proud. I love this country.

Surrey Comet:

The notorious Camp 16 seen from the google satellite 

“I cannot speak English well but people have been so kind to me, helping me whenever I need it. Without a passport I do not feel like a proper citizen. It feels like my citizenship might be taken away from me.”

Mr Lee lived in a hole in the ground in a Chinese orchard for six years after escaping North Korea.

He stayed in the country until he knew that his daughters had escaped safely as it would have been far more dangerous for them to escape together.

He said: “My daughters escaped North Korea and settled in the south and now I just want to see them before I die.

“They have children now too and I have so many family members who I have never met.”

Immigration and employment lawyer Lorna Valcin, a volunteer at the Korean information centre in New Malden, has been handling Mr Lee’s case.

She said: “I have no idea why he was rejected and the Home Office have been very obstructive when we have tried to find out why.

“They used the term ‘withdrawn’ at interview and said he could reapply.

“The concern I have is that he was never given a reason why it was withdrawn in the first place.

“What is to stop them doing that again?”

Surrey Comet:

The Korean Information Centre has been helping Mr Lee with his application

Amnesty International refugee researcher Tom Southerden said: “It is very unusual. We don’t see many cases where citizens are not granted a passport.

“There has been a focus on restricting people’s access to citizenship in recent years, but that seems to be a done deal in this gentleman’s case."

A Home Office spokesman said: “HM Passport Office will not issue a passport until all checks have been satisfactorily completed “We need to establish an applicant’s nationality, identity and entitlement before a passport can be issued.

“We are speaking with Mr Lee’s representatives regarding this matter.”