New Zealand Prime Minister John Key is not confident that North Korea's likely new leader will make any changes to the way the country is run.
Kim Jong-un is expected to succeed his father Kim Jong-il, 69, who died from a heart attack on Saturday.
Mr Key says nothing will change in the short-term and North Korea is likely to remain closed to outsiders.
He says China remains the key country in trying to influence North Korea to resume talks aimed at bringing peace to the Korean peninsula.
