We will conduct N-test: N Korea

North Korea said on Tuesday it will conduct a nuclear test to bolster its self-defence against what it calls increasing US hostility toward the communist regime...

North Korea said on Tuesday it will conduct a nuclear test to bolster its self-defence against what it calls increasing US hostility toward the communist regime8212;the strongest blow yet to efforts to convince the North to give up its drive for nuclear weapons.

8220;The DPRK will in the future conduct a nuclear test in a condition where safety is firmly guaranteed,8221; the North8217;s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, using its official name, the Democratic People8217;s Republic of Korea.

It is the first time the North has announced its intent to conduct a nuclear test amid concerns that the communist country may be preparing for such a move. Pyongyang has said it has nuclear weapons, but has not conducted any known test to prove its claim.

The statement gave no date as to when a test might occur.

8220;The US extreme threat of a nuclear war and sanctions and pressure compel the DPRK to conduct a nuclear test, an essential process for bolstering nuclear deterrent, as a self-defence measure in response,8221; said the statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

Japan reacted swiftly to the announcement. Foreign Minister Taro Aso called the North8217;s nuclear test plans 8220;totally unforgivable,8221; and said Japan would react 8220;sternly8221; if the North conducted the tests, according to Kyodo News agency.

The North8217;s announcement comes as multilateral talks on its nuclear programme remain stalled for almost a year. Pyongyang has boycotted the six-nation talks in protest over US financial restrictions imposed for its alleged illegal activity, including money laundering and counterfeiting.

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The communist nation stoked regional tension in July by test-firing seven missiles, including one believed capable of reaching even parts of the US. The North said on Tuesday its ultimate goal is 8220;to settle hostile relations between the DPRK and the US and to remove the very source of all nuclear threats from the Korean Peninsula and its vicinity.8221;

The two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the US last met in November, with no progress toward implementing a 2005 agreement, when the North pledged to give up its nuclear programme in exchange for aid and security guarantees.

South Korea has raised its security level after the announcement. 8220;The government has taken measures to strengthen the security level in relation to the North Korea nuclear test, the president8217;s office said in a statement.