The United States says that talk among North Koreans about the spread of mobile phones in the North is a good thing.

Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues Robert King said in an interview with South Korea and Japanese media that it's difficult to predict what impact the growth of cell phones in the North will have, but he does expect their use to spread information.

He noted that around North Korean and Chinese borders, phone calls can be made to the North Korea using Chinese mobile phones.