SEOUL, May 10 (Xinhua) — South Korea will never recognize Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as a nuclear-weapons state, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.

During the 7th congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) that ended Monday, DPRK's leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed that the country would push forward economic growth and nuclear development at the same time.

"Our government and the international community will never accept the North as a nuclear power," ministry spokesman Cho June- hyuck said during a regular press briefing.

"We will continue to impose sanctions and pressure on it so that it can wake up from the illusion of nuclear development and show its willingness to denuclearize through actions," said the spokesman.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye also blasted DPRK Tuesday for claiming it is a nuclear state and for announcing its plan to strengthen its nuclear weapons capability. Seoul and the international community at large do not recognize the DPRK as a nuclear power, she told a cabnet meeting.