Another government official in Seoul said vehicle and personnel movement had been spotted near the site of the North's first test, Yonhap news agency reported.
That official said there were no signs of cables being laid or electronic monitors being installed, which might indicate a test was imminent.
AUSPICIOUS EVENT FOR NATION
The ABC report said intelligence was inconclusive, but the preparations in hand were similar to steps taken by North Korea before its October 9 test. Many analysts say that first test was not fully successful.
The two Koreas, the United States, Japan, Russia and China failed in their latest round of talks in Beijing last month to make any progress in suspending the North's nuclear programs in exchange for aid and pledges not to attack it.
North Korea was rebuffed at those talks in its insistence that it be treated as a nuclear power.
South Korea's Defense Ministry said last week that North Korea has probably extracted more than 50 kg (110 lb.) of plutonium since 1994, with more than 30 kg obtained since 2003 while it was engaged in the six-country negotiations.
North Korea hailed its nuclear test as "an auspicious event for the nation" in editorials in official media to welcome the New Year, adding it would further boost its military strength.
"The DPRK's (North Korea's) nuclear deterrent serves as a powerful force for defending peace and security in Northeast Asia and guaranteeing the victorious advance of the cause of independence," one editorial said.
(Additional reporting by David Morgan, Arshad Mohammed and Paul Eckert in Washington and Kim Yeon-hee in Seoul)
Source: http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=newsOne&storyID=2007-01-05T040428Z_01_WAT006794_RTRUKOC_0_US-KOREA-NORTH-TEST.xml&pageNumber=1&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage1
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