SEOUL - South Korean defense minister Kim Kwan-jin said Thursday the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) might attempt provocation before or after the Dec 19 presidential election in South Korea, local media reported.

The DPRK could stage provocation before the presidential election to make it a choice between war and peace and could also attempt provocation after the election to test the new government, Yonhap News Agency quoted Kim as saying.

The remarks, made during his visit to a military unit in the city of Yongin, 40 kilometers south of Seoul, came less than a month before the crucial poll that would determine the course of South Korea's policy towards its northern neighbor.

The three presidential candidates looking to replace President Lee Myung-bak, a hard-liner, have pledged to improve cross-border ties that took a nosedive after two fatal border clashes in 2010.

The minister recently said the DPRK seems to have finished preparations for nuclear and missile tests, reports said.