‍S. Korea will never recognize or tolerate the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as a nuclear state, nor will Seoul have nuclear weapons, S. Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Wednesday, while China said it would work with Seoul to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

Moon made the remarks during his national address in the Nation Assembly, saying his administration made efforts to eventually realize peace on the peninsula while stably managing current situations. It was Moon's second speech to parliament since he took office in May.

Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou, who is also China's special envoy for Korean Peninsula affairs, met with Lee Do-hoon, S. Korea's representative for six-party nuclear talks in Beijing on Tuesday. The two sides agreed to make joint efforts to denuclearize the peninsula and maintain peace and stability on it while continuing to strive for a resolution of the issue through political and diplomatic means. China and S. Korea will enhance communication and cooperation over the issue, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

In his address, Moon stressed that there can be no military action on the Korean Peninsula without the South's consent, adding the government will continue working for peace on the peninsula.

He said DPRK's nuclear issue should be resolved peacefully as pressure and sanctions are only tools to encourage the DPRK to make the right choice and return to the table for dialogue.

To sternly tackle DPRK's provocations, Moon vowed to secure an overwhelming superiority of force and closely cooperate with the international community based on the S. Korea-US alliance.

According to the Moon government's first annual budget bill for next year, defense budget would grow by 6.9 percent in 2018, the fastest increase since 2009.