South Korea, the United States and Japan plan to hold high-level talks on North Korea Tuesday as the communist country appears set to conduct another nuclear test.

Concerns have grown that Pyongyang will carry out its fifth nuclear test or launch another ballistic missile ahead of a rare congress of the ruling Workers' Party early next month.

On Monday, President Park Geun-hye ordered the military to be ready to be on guard and respond forcefully if the need arises, citing indications that Pyongyang is gearing up to detonate another nuclear device.

All nuclear or ballistic missile test would be in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The latest sanctions resolution was adopted last month to punish the North for its fourth nuclear test in January and long-range rocket launch in February.

Tuesday's trilateral talks will involve Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki.

The diplomats are expected to send a strong warning to Pyongyang that any further provocation will be met by stronger punishments from the international community.

The enforcement of U.N. and unilateral sanctions against the North will also likely be discussed as the punitive measures have so far failed to stop the regime's pursuit of nuclear weapons.

The meeting comes on the heels of last month's trilateral summit in Washington during which the three countries' leaders agreed to take further steps to strengthen their security cooperation in the face of the growing threat posed by North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.

The three-way consultations were first held in Washington in April last year and again in Tokyo in January.

Lim is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Blinken and Saiki ahead of the trilateral meeting. (Yonhap)