A Chinese passenger jet with more than 200 people on board flew through the trajectory of a North Korean rocket that had been fired minutes earlier, the South Korean government said.
North Korea fired the rocket Tuesday at 4:17 p.m. without giving any navigational warning, Kim Min-Seok, a spokesman for the South Korean Defense Ministry, said Wednesday.
Seven minutes later, a China Southern Airlines plane carrying 220 passengers from Japan's Narita airport to Shenyang in China passed through the rocket's trajectory, he said.
'It was a very dangerous situation,' Kim said during a news briefing. 'North Korea's provocative actions violate the international navigation laws and pose a great threat to the safety of civilians.'
South Korea has informed Chinese authorities about what happened, the Defense Ministry said.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, said Thursday that the plane flew through North Korean airspace 'normally on that day without incident.'
'When relevant countries conduct military training or exercises, they should abide by international custom to take measures that would ensure the safety of civil aircraft or ships passing through their airspace or territorial water,' Qin said.
He said that China attaches a great deal of importance to the safety of its civil aircraft and would 'seek verification from relevant parties and express necessary concern.