North Korea has reportedly dispatched agents from its State Security Ministry to flood-hit areas bordering China to block increased defections of local residents.

The U.S.-based Radio Free Asia(RFA) reported on Monday that North Korean authorities sent the agents as defections have become easier since heavy rains destroyed border facilities such as guard posts and barbed-wire fences.

A source in North Hamkyong Province reportedly said the ministry sent its agents to border areas under the instruction of the Central Committee of the North's Workers' Party last Sunday.

The source claimed that the agents are currently conducting inspections in all border areas, and not only are they cracking down on defectors but also illegal cell phones and CDs containing South Korean dramas and movies.