Kuwaiti refuted recent media reports alleging a large North Korean expatriate community works on its territory.

“Kuwait is committed to the UN Security Council resolution on economic embargo on North Korea, an official source from the Foreign Ministry said.

Responding to media reports in the United States that the Kuwaiti authorities continue issuing entry visas for North Koreans, the source said the Ministry categorically refutes the existence of such alleged numbers of workers.

He reaffirmed that the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry, out of commitment to the UN Security Council resolutions relating to economic embargo on North Korea, promptly set up a national interagency committee, to adopt and implement the necessary measures immediately.

These measures include suspending the direct flights from and to North Korea; stopping the issuance of entry visas for North Korean workers; halting the issuance of commercial licenses for and remittance to North Korea; blocking any loans from Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) to and all forms of freight shipping from the country; and downgrading North Korea's diplomatic representation in Kuwait.

These measures come in consistency with the Kuwait's international responsibilities and commitment to the resolutions of the international legitimacy as well as Kuwait's future responsibilities when it assumes a non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council early next year, the source pointed out.

“ Kuwait will continue working with the competent UN bodies and international partners to keep them apprised of the measures its takes in this regard which gained international appraisal”, the source added.

Source: BNA