The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said today that its inspectors had been asked by the North Korean authorities to leave the country by Tuesday.
"IAEA inspectors in Yongbyon, DPRK (North Korea), are making arrangements to leave the country... The inspectors are scheduled to depart the DPRK on December 31st," the IAEA said in a statement from Vienna.
"This is in response to DPRK officials confirming directly to the inspectors that they should leave the country immediately and that the DPRK has decided not to respond to the IAEA director general's letter urging them to allow inspectors to remain at the Yongbyon nuclear site," the statement said.
The IAEA had warned yesterday that expelling the international inspectors would worsen the crisis created by North Korea's decision to reactivate its nuclear programme.
The experts believe the secretive Stalinist state is on the point of obtaining nuclear weapons.
"This is a country in defiance of its international obligations," IAEA director general Mr Mohamed ElBaradei said in the statement.
"It sets a dangerous precedent for the integrity of the non-proliferation regime," Mr ElBaradei said in reference to the international Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.
Pyongyang announced yesterday it intended to reactivate nuclear facilities that have been frozen for the past eight years and ordered the IAEA inspectors to leave the controversial Yongbyon nuclear plant, 90 kilometres (56 miles) north of the capital.
North Korea says it is restarting the five-megawatt Yongbyon facility in order to generate electricity. But the IAEA accuses North Korea of moving 1,000 fresh nuclear fuel rods to the research reactor, which is said to be capable of producing plutonium for use in a nuclear weapon.