By Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar

KUWAIT CITY

Kuwait began enforcing economic sanctions against North Korea Thursday that include eliminating direct flights to and from that country, said a source in Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry.

He reiterated his country's commitment to recent UN Security Council resolutions instituting an economic boycott of North Korea.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry established a national committee to enact penalties that also include stopping financial transfers to North Korea, halting loans provided by the Kuwait Fund for Economic Development and stopping entry visas for North Korean workers

It is also suspending all shipments of goods from North Korea while reducing the number of diplomats accredited to the North Korean Embassy in Kuwait.

The measures are in line with Kuwait's upcoming responsibilities when it begins its non-permanent membership of the Security Council early next year, the source said. 

In June, Kuwait banned the import or purchase of coal and some minerals, such as iron and gold, from North Korea, pursuant to Security Council Resolution 2270 that imposed sanctions against North Korea in 2016. 

It also prohibited the licensing of any Kuwaiti financial institution or company operating in Kuwait from opening representative offices, subsidiaries, branches or bank accounts in North Korea. 

On Saturday, the UN passed a new resolution imposing these latest sanctions on North Korea for its continued intercontinental ballistic missile testing and violations of UN resolutions. The United States submitted the draft resolution.