S. Korea: No Evidence of North Nuke Test

South Koreans walk by displays of North Korea's Scud-B missile at Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 18, 2006. South Korea said Friday it was maintaining regular monitoring of North Korea, but declined to confirm a report citing alleged evidence of the communist nation's preparations for an underground nuclear test. (AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man) (Lee Jin-man - AP)

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea said Friday it has no clear evidence that communist North Korea is preparing for a nuclear test, responding to a news report citing a U.S. official saying intelligence showed possible signs of an upcoming test.

"I haven't heard that we have confirmed clear evidence that North Korea is pursuing a nuclear test," Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok told lawmakers at a committee hearing.

Lee said there is frequent speculation about the North's nuclear program, but that not all of it turns out to be true.

"We are closely monitoring North Korea's activities related to the nuclear program and missiles," he said.

Lee Yong-joon, head of the South Korean Foreign Ministry's task force on the North Korea nuclear issue, said South Korea was monitoring movements in North Korea in close cooperation with the United States. He declined to comment directly on the report about a possible test, citing protocol.

The United States and South Korea "share all intelligence and evaluations" related to North Korean movements, Lee told The Associated Press.

South Korea's spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, also declined to comment directly on the report.

"We cannot specifically confirm the report as it is an intelligence matter," a spokesman said on condition of anonymity, citing policy.

The comments came after ABC News quoted an unidentified State Department official as saying a North Korean nuclear test was "a real possibility."

The report also cited an unidentified senior U.S. military official as saying that a U.S. intelligence agency recently had seen "suspicious vehicle movement" at a suspected test site, including the unloading of reels of cable outside an underground facility in northeast North Korea.

Such cables are connected to outside monitoring equipment and could be a possible sign of an upcoming test. The report said the White House was told about the intelligence last week.

The White House declined to confirm the report, but an official there who refused to be identified said Washington's position was that a "North Korean nuclear test would be an extremely provocative action that would draw universal condemnation from the international community."