North Korean Rocket Fired Near Chinese Airliner

China Southern Airlines (Photo credit Noel Jones via Wikipedia CC)

A Chinese airliner carrying 200 passengers made international news this week when it passed near the trajectory of a North Korean rocket on Tuesday, according to a statement by the South Korean government.

According to Kim Min-Seok, South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman, the China Southern Airlines airplane was flying over international waters at 32,800 feet while en route from Tokyo to Shenyang, China, when North Korea launched the rocket.

South Korea officials say North Korea provided no warning of the tests, which included the firing of seven rockets on Tuesday.

The airplane reportedly passed through the trajectory of the rocket about seven minutes after it was fired, and the chances that the aircraft would have been struck were low.

The international community has decried the tests as an unnecessary disregard for safety.

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