A South Korean report cited by BBC News Asia said North Korean people who are in the business industry in China are being called back at home, following the execution of top official Chang Song-thaek. According to BBC, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might be purging Chang's associates. Chang was put in charge of working economic ties of North Korea with China.

Sources who had disclosed to South Korean news agency Yonhap said the government of North Korea is summoning its people in the business sector who are currently in the north-eastern Chinese cities of Shenyang and Dandong to go back home. They are currently in China to enhance bilateral trade and investment between both countries. Another source also told the agency that Pyongyang has plans to bring all officials and staff from China to North Korea in stages.

Yonhap said in its report that the recall was a sign that North Korea is intent to crack down on people who were loyal to Chang. Moreover, Chang's death and the recall indicated that North Korea was not open to a Chinese-style economic reform Chang appears to be a fan of/

The government of South Korea believed that Kim is trying to reign in power via terror, and demonstrated this strategy by ordering the execution of Chang, who is his uncle. Chang was killed on Friday.

According to a profile by BBC, Chang is married to the sister of the elder Kim Jong-il in 1972. He later joined the the administrative ranks of the Korean Workers' Party in the 1970, and later on got elected to tge Central Committee in 1992. Under Kim Jong-un, he was elected for the top military post in 2011. In November this year, Chang was dismissed and was executed the following month.

The death of Chang by Kim has raised concern in the international community regarding the stability of North Korea, which was dubbed by BBC as a nuclear-armed state.