North Korean officials and security agents dispatched overseas to watch North Korean workers are reported to be secretly using South Korean smartphones.

Citing a source familiar with North Korean affairs in China, the Daily NK reported on Monday that ordinary North Korean workers are banned from using mobile phones, but North Korean officials and security agents are using smartphones made by Samsung and LG.

The source said that the purpose of buying the smartphones is to check what the outside world thinks about the future prospects of the North Korean regime.

The source added that the use of smartphones is not easily caught as the North Korean officials and agents turn blind eyes to each other.

The Daily NK is a Seoul-based online newspaper specializing in North Korean affairs.