Japan, via its embassy in Beijing, demanded Friday that North Korea hand over two Pyongyang agents suspected of abducting four Japanese nationals in two separate cases in 1978, the Foreign Ministry said.
The action comes after Japanese police obtained arrest warrants Thursday for Sin Guang Su and Choe Sung Chol. They may place the two on an Interpol wanted list next week.
But diplomatic sources said North Korea is unlikely to meet the demand, particularly for Sin, who is considered a national hero because of his unstinting loyalty to Pyongyang during his 15 years of detention as a spy in South Korea.