The inspectors have also switched off surveillance equipment at the site and are preparing to leave the country, a diplomat close to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.

The Yongbyon complex produced weapons-grade plutonium until it was shut down under a six-nation nuclear disarmament deal.

Incensed by the Security Council's condemnation of its April 5 blast-off, Pyongyang pledged Tuesday never to rejoin six-party talks. It vowed to restore and reopen Yongbyon and to reprocess spent reactor fuel rods.

"Inspectors have removed (UN) seals and turned surveillance cameras to the wall," the diplomat told AFP Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The seals are placed on doors and equipment to make sure it is not accessed without the IAEA's knowledge.

The inspectors will likely leave the country on Thursday, the diplomat said, as the United States said its nuclear monitors were also preparing to depart North Korea after being ordered out.

The IAEA said Tuesday North Korea was ceasing all cooperation with the UN watchdog and had asked its inspectors to leave the country as soon as possible.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the United States and its negotiating partners were "anxious for the North Koreans to come back to the table" in line with agreements to dismantle their nuclear programme.

The six-party talks involve the United States, China, Japan, Russia and the two Koreas.

The North has previously threatened to quit the process. But analysts said the current threat seemed serious and the United States may have to offer direct talks to woo it back to six-party dialogue.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the inspectors' expulsion an "unnecessary response" to a legitimate Security Council statement.

"Obviously, we hope that there will be an opportunity to discuss this with not only our partners and allies but also eventually with the North Koreans," she added.

Washington has some powerful means to bring North Korea out of its isolation, said Scott Bruce, US operations director for the Nautilus Institute think-tank.

"It can recognise the country. It can end the state of perpetual insecurity that North Korea faces by being technically at war with the most powerful nation on Earth," Bruce said.

In Pyongyang, state media said the mood was festive as the nation marked the Day of the Sun, the anniversary of the birth of founding president Kim Il-Sung.

Media called for unshakeable loyalty to the late founder's son and current ruler Kim Jong-Il, crediting him with what it called a successful satellite launch in defiance of international pressure.

The communist party daily Rodong Sinmun praised his "incomparable courage and boldness" and termed the launch a "historic victory".

The North claims it put a peaceful satellite into orbit, while the United States and its allies say it carried out a disguised missile test.

In South Korea, defectors from the North marked the anniversary by floating leaflets across the border calling for the ousting of Kim Jong-Il.

Nine defectors released 10 huge balloons carrying 100,000 flyers. These accused Kim of letting people starve so he could develop missiles and urged party cadres to "oppose and topple" him.

The Security Council in a statement Monday condemned the rocket launch as violating a resolution passed after the North's 2006 missile and nuclear tests.

It vowed tougher enforcement of sanctions contained in the 2006 resolution.

South Korea said it does not oppose any direct US-North Korean talks to end the impasse.

"We don't need to oppose dialogue between North Korea and the US if it is necessary," Unification Minister Hyun In-Taek told Yonhap news agency.

But Washington should closely consult Seoul first, he cautioned.

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