The Seoul government has decided to maintain a prudent approach to North Korea's public declaration that it possesses nuclear weapons.

A Blue House official said that the Foreign Ministry will be the first to address the matter as Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon is currently in Washington to discuss the "new situation" with U.S. officials.

The presidential official also said that President Roh Moo-hyun made no particular comments after being briefed on Pyongyang’s public announcement of nuclear armament.

The official noted that Seoul had already put in place a North Korean nuke-related crisis management system, and that accordingly, an emergency National Security Council meeting was convened immediately following Thursday's declaration.

The official added that Seoul's follow-up measures would be carefully drawn up in close coordination with Washington and other allies and in consideration of all aspects such as inter-Korean economic cooperation.

Earlier on Thursday, in a statement carried by the official KCNA News Agency, North Korea declared that it has manufactured nuclear weapons to defend itself from a hostile United States.