South Korea's military on Monday formed a "crisis management" team of general-level officers after North Korea announced it had carried out a nuclear test, the defence ministry said.
"Top military officials led by the defence minister are holding an emergency meeting after forming a crisis management team," a ministry spokesman said.
A spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff said troops were put on heightened alert "and are closely monitoring movement of North Korean troops."
The JCS spokesman said Seoul had not yet officially confirmed the test "although it is highly possible."
A National Security Council meeting chaired by President Lee Myung-Bak began at 1:00 pm (0400 GMT)
North Korea said it staged a "successful" underground nuclear test Monday which was more powerful than its previous test of an atomic bomb almost three years ago.
Defence Minister Lee Sang-Hee cancelled a scheduled three-day trip to China, the ministry spokesman said.
The minister was to leave for Beijing Tuesday before flying to Singapore to attend a regional security forum there and to hold talks with US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates, he said.
"The minister will also cancel his trip to Singapore if cross-border tension rises," the spokesman said.
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