South Korea handed over investigative and other court-proceeding materials to Japan last week on a former North Korean agent arrested after allegedly abducting a Japanese man in 1980, a South Korean government source said Monday.
Shin Kwang Soo, 72, is one of 63 former North Korean agents set to be repatriated to the North on Saturday under an agreement made between South Korean President Kim Dae Jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il at their June summit.
Seoul's decision to release the documents to Japan effectively states that Tokyo's request to conduct face-to-face questioning of Shin is not possible, the source said.
Shin has refused to be questioned by Japanese authorities on the alleged abduction.