North Korea seals Chinese border

North Korea sealed off its land border with China and summoned back workers living on the Chinese side in preparation for the funeral of the late leader Kim Jong-il, The Wall Street Journal reported, quoting Chinese officials and people in contact with North Koreans. Shortly after Kim died on Monday, the country closed border crossings in Tumen, Huichun and Dandong to all visitors and goods except those North Koreans returning for the December 28 funeral. Kim’s death has left observers deeply uncertain over North Korea’s likely direction. Some Chinese businesspeople who work in North Korea said Tuesday that they thought the Kim’s son and successor, Kim Jong-un, would continue his father’s economic reforms, but dissidents in Seoul on Tuesday predicted that the pace of change would be slow. Do Myung-hak, a North Korean defector living in Seoul, said that Pyongyang would likely look calm for the time being, as the country pays respect for the deceased leader. “The problem is what will happen after the mourning period.”