Kuwaiti government sources informed AP Aug. 10 that the number of North Koreans working in the country is 6,064 but on Aug. 11, in response to concern from the United States, the Kuwait News Agency refuted that such a number of North Koreans existed in the country, Bloomberg reported. The statement and subsequent contradiction illustrates the difficult geopolitical situation of Kuwait , which must balance its close ties to the United States against deep economic ties with U.S. adversaries like North Korea.