In mourning, hermit kingdom North Korea seals itself [View all]

[ellisonz]

By Andrew Quinn | Reuters – 1 hr 26 mins ago

DANDONG, China/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea was in seclusion on Tuesday, a day after it announced the death of its leader Kim Jong-il, as concern mounted over what would happen next in the deeply secretive nation that is trying to build a nuclear arsenal.

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In a sign the hermit state was sealing itself off from the outside world even more after the "Dear Leader's" death, few people crossed the Dandong border with China. China is the North's only major ally and one of the few states with which it actively trades.

"We can't go in now, because of the death of Kim Jong-il," Yu Lu, a Chinese trader in Dandong who does business with the North, told Reuters. "It's all closed off, and basically all the North Koreans are heading back. It's very tightly closed today."

However, it was not clear if the border was officially closed.

http://news.yahoo.com/mourning-hermit-kingdom-north-korea-seals-itself-off-045808510.html