"It's plausible to think about my visiting Pyongyang for the third time," Koizumi told parliament late Wednesday.

"I want to realize the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, which is an absolute must, although I don't interfere with Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe's policy management."

Koizumi, who was prime minister until September when he was succeeded by Abe, visited North Korea in 2002 and again in 2004 for talks with its leader Kim Jong-Il.

The first Koizumi-Kim summit in 2002 produced the Pyongyang Declaration in which they agreed to "comply with all related international agreements aimed at an overall resolution of the nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula."

"It's necessary to ensure that the Declaration is valid, and it's plausible to think about my visiting North Korea for the third time," Koizumi said, as quoted by NHK.

"I want to revitalize the declaration, and I don't mind visiting Pyongyang for this end," he added.

Koizumi said that dealing with North Korea required a two-front strategy of dialogue and pressure. "We can't abandon dialogue," NHK quoted him as saying.

Pyongyang's missile launches in July and its atom bomb test on October 9 triggered global condemnation. Japan accused the North of violating the 2002 declaration and slapped sanctions against the impoverished country.

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