Passenger jet flew over test zone 10 minutes before North Korean missile hit: report

A commercial airplane passed the spot in the Sea of Japan where a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile would make impact 10 minutes before it hit, ABC News reported Tuesday.
The missile test was on Friday, and according to the report, the flight was Air France 293 carrying 323 people from Paris to Tokyo.
In a statement to ABC News, Air France said the flight was not in any danger and that Pyongyang’s missile test zones “don’t interfere in any way with Air France’s flight paths.”
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“Moreover, in cooperation with the authorities, Air France constantly analyzes potentially dangerous flyover zones and adapts its flight plans accordingly,” the statement says.
But the Pentagon has warned that such tests could pose a threat to commercial aircraft and ships in the sea, because North Korea does not announce its weapons tests ahead of time.
On Monday, Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said there had not been any close call with the latest test, but said the tests still caused concern.
“It’s an area where you have Japanese fishing boats, you have vessels engaged in commerce. That’s a problem when missile tests fall from the sky and land in places where they can hit innocent ships,” said Davis.
In March, a Chinese passenger jet carrying more than 200 people flew through the flight path of a North Korean rocket. Pyongyang had not given any warning prior to the launch.
Pyongyang has dramatically increased the frequency of its missile tests. The July 4 launch marked the reclusive regime’s first successful test of an ICBM.
North Korea conducted another test on Friday of an ICBM that the country’s government says is capable of striking the mainland U.S.
— Ellen Mitchell contributed.
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