"Whether North Korea has one or several nuclear weapons does not change the balance on the peninsula," General Leon LaPorte told a local radio.

The United States and South Korea "retain our ability to deter North Korean aggression and if required, to decisively defeat the North Korean threat if they were to threaten South Korea," he said.

"USFK (US Forces Korea) believes the North has one to two nuclear weapons at a minimum," said the commander of 32,500 US soldiers based in South Korea.

"North Korea continues to develop its Taepodong-II intercontinental ballistic missiles. This missile could deliver a nuclear warhead to parts of the United States if a third stage was added," he said.

Washington has denounced Pyongyang as a leading global proliferator of missiles and missile technology. The cash-strapped country has refused to stop missile exports, a major source of hard currency earnings.

In 1998 Pyongyang test-launched a Taepodong-1 missile with a range of up to 2,000 kilometers that overflew Japan.

LaPorte said the United States and its allies would continue to develop their capabilities against North Korean nuclear weapons and missiles.

Asked whether Washington has any intention to bring nuclear weapons back to South Korea, LaPorte said the United States fully supports an inter-Korean accord signed in 1992 to make the peninsula nuclear-free.

South Korean officials say the United States has removed its tactical nuclear weapons, but North Korea insists US nuclear weapons are still deployed in South Korea.

North Korea said last week that it would scrap its nuclear weapons only if the United States removed its nuclear threat to the peninsula as a first step.

Three months ago North Korea declared itself a "fully-fledged" nuclear state and said it would not return to nuclear disarmament talks.

Washington has said it is keeping all options open in dealing with North Korea. But military action has apparently been ruled out as a serious option.

"Any decision relative to the use of military force would come as the result of political interaction and decisions made by (South Korean) and US governments," LaPorte said.

Pyongyang has boycotted six-party talks bringing together the United States, the two Koreas, Russia, Japan and China for more than a year, following three inconclusive rounds.

South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon said Wednesday he has urged the United States to avoid provoking North Korea at a time when hopes are high for a new round of talks.

He said he made the request to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Brussels last week during a conference of donor countries for Iraq.

"I explained to Secretary Rice that the United States and other dialogue partners need to be circumspect in behavior and she expressed understanding." Ban told YTN cable news television.

He said Seoul was working hard to restart the talks next month after North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il hinted at a return to dialogue during a meeting on June 17 with South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-Young.

On Wednesday Chung embarked on a five-day trip to the United States to brief US officials on his talks with Kim.

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