'N Korea may stage 2nd nuclear test'

Kim Jang-Soo, a former army chief of staff, ordered the 650,000-strong military to step up combat-readiness to deter possible aggression from the North, the defence ministry said.

"We have to be thoroughly prepared to counter the possibility of a second or third nuclear test by North Korea and a possible hostile act by it in the process of negotiations over its nuclear weapons programme," Kim said in a written order to his troops.

The six-nation nuclear talks are set to resume in Beijing on Monday, 13 months after the North walked out. They involve the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia.

The North staged its first nuclear test on October 9, sparking international condemnation and United Nations sanctions.

Later that month North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il told China that he had no plans for a second test but that increased international pressure could trigger "further measures".

Defence minister Kim issued his order after a closed-door meeting of 130 senior commanders, including General Kim Kwan-Jin, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the army, navy and air force chiefs of staff.

Foreign ministry spokesman Choo Kyu-Ho said he had no information about a possible second nuclear test.