Kuwait to expel North Korean ambassador, other diplomats

Kuwait City - Pyongyang has thousands of laborers working in Kuwait.

Kuwait will expel North Korea's ambassador to the oil-rich country and four other diplomats, potentially limiting Pyongyang's ability to earn money for its nuclear program from laborers it sends to the Gulf.
The decision comes as Kuwait in recent weeks offered contradictory statements about its relationship with North Korea. The US and Asian nations have increased pressure on their allies to cut ties as Pyongyang has tested a nuclear weapon and launched ballistic missiles over Japan.

North Korea's Embassy in Kuwait City serves as its only diplomatic outpost in the Gulf. Pyongyang has thousands of laborers working in Kuwait.

Responding to international pressure, Kuwait will expel Ambassador So Chang Sik and four other staffers. That will leave four diplomats at the embassy. The embassy did not respond to a request for comment.

A Gulf-based official confirmed on Sunday that Kuwait would be expelling the diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence reports. A letter Kuwait sent in August to the United Nations also made that pledge.
"Kuwait has taken positive steps in regards to implementing UN resolutions related to" Pyongyang, it said.

While a small market compared to China and Russia, the amount of money North Korean laborers in the Gulf kick back to the government helps Pyongyang evade international sanctions, authorities say.
A 2015 UN report suggested that the more than 50,000 North Koreans working overseas earned Pyongyang between $1.2 billion and $2.3 billion a year. Other estimates put earnings in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

• Kuwait