North Korea announced that it will carry out a nuclear weapons test in the near future. In a statement the North Korean government said it would be compelled to carry out the test due to threats and sanctions from the United States.

A statement issued by the North Korean Foreign Ministry said, "The field of scientific research of the DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea) will in the future conduct a nuclear test under the condition where safety is firmly guaranteed," the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

"DPRK will never use nuclear weapons first but strictly prohibit any threat of nuclear weapons and nuclear transfer," the statement said.

Meanwhile, South Korea will convene an emergency meeting of top officials after the North Korean threat, news agencies reported.

Yonhap news agency said the meting will take place early Wednesday.

Six nation talks, aimed at ending the nuclear programme, broke down last year when North Korea walked out. It has refused to return until the US ends a financial crackdown on its offshore bank accounts.

A nuclear test will be seen as an attempt by North Korea to force the US into direct negotiations, something it has long pushed for but which Washington has rejected.