Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Raises Alarm Over N. Korea’s New Submarine-Launched Cruise Missile; Pledges Closer U.S.-S. Korea Intelligence Cooperation

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:18 JST, January 29, 2024

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed alarm at North Korea’s cruise missile launch at a press conference on Monday morning, following a report by the state-run Korean Central News Agency that Pyongyang had fired a newly developed submarine-launched strategic cruise missile. Hayashi said that North Korea is “aiming to enhance the capability for surprise attacks that are difficult to detect, recognize and intercept.”

He also said the government is intending to cooperate with the United States and South Korea in intelligence gathering and analysis, and emphasized the government’s commitment to vigilantly monitor the situation.