A South Korean government official says signs that suggest a potential outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in North Korea have been spotted.

The official said that such a development was conveyed by foreigners who visited the North late last year.

He added, however, that based on the information received, it is not clear whether what was witnessed in the North were preventive or quarantine measures for FMD.

Last month, a civic group on North Korean human rights based in Japan also cited an anonymous source as saying that FMD was spreading in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.

South Korea in 2007 confirmed an FMD outbreak in the North via an international organization and provided the North with quarantine medical supplies and equipment worth over two-point-six billion won.