South Korea called on North Korea Monday to stop its "preposterous" claim that it is ready to halt its nuclear tests if Seoul and Washington suspend their annual joint military drills.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong made the remarks in a recent interview with The Associated Press, also claiming that international sanctions against his country won't work.

The North has long denounced the Seoul-Washington drills as a rehearsal for a northward invasion, a charge denied by the two allies.

The Ministry of Unification rejected the North's proposal and urged Pyongyang not to make further provocations.

"Ri's remarks seemed to aim to pass the buck to Seoul and Washington and divert attention from global efforts to impose sanctions on the North," Jeong Joon-hee, a ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing.

"It is preposterous that North Korea calls for bartering an illegal act with the suspension of an exercise that is defensive in nature," he added.

In early March, the U.N. Security Council imposed tougher sanctions punishing the North for its January nuclear test and long-range rocket launch in February.

There is considerable speculation that North Korea could carry out a fifth nuclear test or launch a medium or long-range missile ahead of the Workers' Party Congress slated for early May.

On Saturday, the North fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile in waters off its northeast coast, drawing international condemnation.

Last month, it test-fired what looked like an intermediate-range Musudan ballistic missile though this launch ended in complete failure.

The North is under a set of U.N. Security Council resolutions banning the country from using ballistic missile technology.

"We strongly call on North Korea to stop its preposterous claim and suspend additional provocations," Jeong said. (Yonhap)