The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) formally informed the inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday that their access to facilities at Yongbyon would no longer be permitted, IAEA confirmed in a statement.

The DPRK has also stated it has stopped its disablement work, which was initially agreed upon within the Six-Party Talks, IAEA spokesperson Marc Vidricaire said in the statement.

He also said that since it is "preparing to restart the facilities at Yongbyon," the DPRK has informed the IAEA that "our monitoring activities would no longer be appropriate."

The IAEA statement also noted that IAEA inspectors will remain in Yongbyon pending further information by the DPRK.

The DPRK government had already blockaded Yongbyon's plutonium-producing plant two weeks ago, permitting international inspectors no access to the facilities.

According to a document reached in the Six Party Talks on DPRK's nuclear issue last October, the DPRK submitted a declaration about its nuclear activities this June and blew down the nuclear cooling tower in Yongbyon, but the United States has not taken any substantial steps in removing DPRK from the U.S. list of "state sponsors of terrorism" as promised.

(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2008)