Qatar and Kuwait to force out North Korea workers, following recent nuclear tests

Qatar and Kuwait have agreed to prevent new visas for North Korean workers from being issued, which will see the last remaining nationals leave the Gulf states in the coming months.

"Approximately 1,000 [workers] remain, but this number will decline rapidly as their employment contracts expire. Visas to North Korean nationals will not be renewed," Qatar's government said in a statement, Reuters reported.

Doha said no North Korean workers were assisting with construction of stadiums for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, after complying with 2015 sanctions on Pyongyang.

"There have never been workers from North Korea working on any World Cup construction sites," it said.

North Korean overseas workers are thought to be an importance source of income for the Pyongyang regime.

It comes after Kuwait said it would expel the North Korean ambassador and workers.

The US has been pushing for more far-reaching sanctions on North Korea after a series of recent nuclear and missile tests.

President Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday to "destroy" North Korea if it threatened the US during his opening speech to the UN General Assembly.