Concerns over North Korea’s next move

NORTH KOREA was in seclusion yesterday, a day after it announced the death of its leader Kim Jong Il, as concern mounted over what would happen next in the nation that is trying to build a nuclear arsenal.

While US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged North Korea to follow a “path of peace”, diplomats and experts were struggling to understand what would happen as it transitions from the 17-year iron rule of Kim Jong Il, 69, to that of his untested son, in his late 20s.

Ruler-in-waiting Kim Jong Un paid respects to his father, who lay in state in the capital of Pyongyang ahead of his funeral on December 28.

“Kim Jong Un... together with senior officials of the party, state and armed forces organs, visited the bier of Kim Jong-il to express deep condolences with the bitterest grief,” state news agency KCNA said yesterday.

North Korean media lauded Kim Jong Il as the “great father of the people” and reported he had made several public appearances in the past week.

Pyongyang has said foreign officials would not be invited to the funeral.

Jong Un, the youngest son and successor to the dynasty started by his grandfather, was described as the “eternally immovable mental mainstay of the Korean people” by KCNA.

In a sign the 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, the North’s only major ally.

It was not clear if the border was officially closed.

Chinese business people in Dandong said that while it was still possible to travel across yesterday, many were canceling trips, fearing the border could be closed.

The elder Kim was reported to have died on Saturday of a heart attack, prompting South Korea to put its forces on full alert.

South Korean media reported that the North test-fired at least one short-range missile on Monday, sparking a fresh round of tension, although officials in Seoul said they did not necessarily believe the launches were linked to Kim’s death.

One Chinese businessman with close links to North Korea said the Wongjong border crossing with Russia was open, but that nobody was using it to enter the country.

“[As] many foreigners are leaving as possible,” he said.

North Korea, which has one of the largest armies in the world, has recently been trying to re-engage the US in a bid to win food aid.

The US, a close ally of South Korea, wants North Korea first to abandon its attempts to become a nuclear weapons power.

“It is our hope that the new leadership of [North Korea] will choose to guide their nation onto the path of peace by honouring North Korea’s commitments, improving relations with its neighbours, and respecting the rights of its people,” said Clinton.

“The United States stands ready to help the North Korean people and urges the new leadership to work with the international community to usher in a new era of peace, prosperity and lasting security on the Korean Peninsula.”

However, the question remains as to who is actually running the North. While Kim Jong Un may be the anointed heir and the third of his dynasty to rule, there are other powerful players.

Jong Un has only had since 2009 to prepare for leadership, whereas his father had over a decade under the tutelage of his father and founder of North Korea, Kim Il Sung.

South Korean financial markets, which initially plunged on the news of Kim’s death, recovered their poise yesterday, posting small gains. Other Asian markets were also calm.

Reuters