South Korean troops have fired at an Airbus passenger jet after mistaking it for a North Korean aircraft. Soldiers on Gyodong island, off South Korea's west coast, fired 99 rifle rounds at ASIANA Flight 324, which was out of range and landed undamaged. The incident took place early on Friday close to the tense border between the Koreas. Flight 324, which was inbound from Chengdu, China, with 119 passengers and crew onboard, was descending at the time, and was about 15 nautical miles from Seoul's Incheon International Airport. According to media reports, 2 marine guards fired their K-2 rifles at the civilian flight. "The firing continued about 10 minutes but the plane was too far off the rifle's range and it did not receive any damage" a Marine Corps official told local media. "When the plane appeared over Jumun island, soldiers mistook it as a North Korean military aircraft and fired". According to a statement from Asiana, the Airbus was following a normal approach route and they only found about the incident, when South Korean Military officials notifed the carrier and asked them to inspect the aircraft for damage. European media reports say the West Sea, which contains the disputed maritime border between North and South Korea, has been especially tense since 2 attacks on South Korea last year. Relations between the 2 nations have been "frosty" ever since, with North Korea recently vowing to break ties with the South in retaliation for what it called "psychological warfare" against it. The South Korean government and military have opened a full investigation into the incident.
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