Chinese passenger plane misses North Korea missile by minutes
A Chinese passenger plane carrying 220 passengers flew through the trajectory of a North Korean rocket that had been fired minutes earlier, according to the South Korean government.
South Korea's Defence Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said North Korea fired the rocket onTuesday at 4.17pm without giving any warning.
The plane had been heading from Tokyo in Japan to Shenyang in China, and passed through the North Korean missile's trajectory just seven minutes after it had been fired.
According to the BBC, Min-seok said: "An aircraft passed by as the ballistic missile fell. On a safety level, this is a serious issue of concern.
"The failure to protect the safety of civilians by issuing an advanced navigational warning according to international norms is a serious threat."
He added: "North Korea's provocative actions violate the international navigation laws and pose a great threat to the safety of civilians."
According to CNN and the BBC, North Korea on Wednesday defended the series of short-range missile and rocket launches it has carried out in recent weeks.
The North's Korean People's Army said in a statement carried by state media: "It is justifiable self-defense behaviour for us to conduct these military exercises in order to preserve peace in the region and to protect the safety of our people and our country."
It added its recent launches hadn't affected "international navigational order."
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