US Secretary of State John Kerry has described North Korea as an "illegal and illegitimate regime" in a possible indication that the US government is taking a harder line on the communist nation.

Kerry made the remark at the start of talks with Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on Friday, praising the Middle Eastern nation for its efforts to help curb North Korea's weapons proliferation.

"I want to thank the Amir and his government for their efforts to help counter the proliferation of the DPRK, of North Korea. They have recently taken steps to curb flights and to make sure that revenues from workers are not sustaining an illegal and illegitimate regime in North Korea," he said, according to a State Department transcript. 
(Yonhap)Kerry appears to be referring to Kuwait's reported suspension earlier this year of the North's Air Koryo flights, as well as measures to ensure that wages of North Korean workers are not diverted to the country's nuclear and missile programs.

"We have also been very, very open about the fact that North Korea's export of labor generates significant revenue for the government and it enables, in fact, the development of those very programs," State Department spokesman John Kirby said at a regular briefing later in the day.

"We have raised our concerns, and we'll continue to do so with governments about the use of laborers -- workers from North Korea in their countries. And that's what he's referring to."  (Yonhap)