( CNN ) -- Kim Jong Il 's passing closes a sad and tragic chapter for the people of North Korea . His 17-year reign will be remembered as a dark period in their history characterized by great suffering and steady and dangerous provocations to the outside world . Though North Korea is an extremely opaque country , we can have some confidence that a transition plan established over a year ago is now being implemented . Public pronouncements from Pyongyang indicate 29-year-old Kim Jong Un has assumed leadership , and preparations are under way for a public funeral for Kim Jong Il , with Kim Jong Un presiding . Even the launch of a short-range missile off North Korea 's east coast around the time of Kim 's death can be seen as `` North Korean normalcy . '' Thus , this is not a time to hyperventilate ; rather , we must take a deep breath and give sober-minded examination to the actions we can take to improve the situation on the Korean Peninsula and strengthen our own security . As a former ambassador in the region who worked on North Korea security issues , I am keenly aware that this delicate situation presents immediate risks but also long-term opportunities . The United States should do the following : . We must establish and maintain close channels of communications with our allies to ensure our activities going forward are aligned . First and foremost , we must be in complete lock-step with the South Korean government in Seoul . We also need very close cooperation with Tokyo . We should establish close consultations with other parties with influence in North Korea , including Russia and primarily China . While our interests often diverge , we share with Beijing an aversion to instability and chaos on the Korean Peninsula . At a minimum , we need quality channels of communication with China to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations . For example , if China were to mobilize forces to close her border with North Korea to prevent a massive influx of refugees , it would be important that no one misread those steps as Chinese preparations for sending forces across the border . An immediate priority relates to North Korea 's nuclear weapons program . We need solid intelligence to monitor any potential rogue activities or any moves to proliferate , and we must have credible plans to address such activities alongside our allies . Over time , we should work with allies and others to encourage the new regime in Pyongyang to make the wise decision to give up nuclear weapons permanently . We must also monitor Pyongyang 's missiles . While North Korea 's new leader may continue to flex his muscles with a series of short range missile tests , we can not forget that North Korea is suspected to have longer range variants of the Taepo Dong missile that may be able to reach Hawaii and Alaska with conventional payloads . And we know the North Koreans have flown a two stage missile over our ally Japan as far back as 1998 . Our Aegis ships and those of Japan need to be on alert for the unlikely , but very dangerous possibility , of a missile strike . As we look further ahead , we must note that April 2012 will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of North Korea 's founder , Kim Il Sung ( Kim Jong Il 's father ) . Our intelligence analysts were already predicting the occasion would likely mean a range of provocative actions from Pyongyang to mark the birth of their country 's father and to extract payoffs from the outside world . Now we must add into the dangerous mix the probability that Kim Jong Un will encourage some activities to show his strength and demonstrate that he 's firmly in charge . The key going forward will be to help protect our allies and our interests but not to overact to the North Korean regime 's predictable pattern of behavior . Looking out over an even longer horizon , we should see Kim 's passing as the best opportunity in decades for the people of North Korea to move toward political reform . Whether by supporting Seoul 's North-South dialogue , working with Kim Jong Un if he shows any interest in opening-up ( not much is known about him , but we do know he had some exposure to the West during his school years ) or interacting directly with the people of North Korea , we should seize opportunities to encourage meaningful reform . We should be reminded that after Mao Zedong 's death in China in 1976 , it took only two years for Deng Xiaoping to launch China 's opening to the outside world in 1978 . Given the magnitude of these events , wise stewardship of our country and military is essential if we are to take advantage of this opportunity to help forge a more stable situation on the Korean Peninsula . The unpredictable events unfolding in North Korea and across the world should serve as a reminder that we need a president with hands-on foreign policy experience . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jon Huntsman .
Jon Huntsman : Death of Kim Jong Il could lead to more instability . He says U.S. must work closely with China , Japan , Russia to stay on top of events . N. Korean missiles that could reach U.S. territory need to be closely watched , he says . Huntsman says centenary of Kim Il Sung 's birth may give rise to provocative actions .