South Korea's Asiana Airlines banned selling some emergency seats after an accident in which a passenger opened an emergency exit mid-air, the carrier announced Sunday.

The traumatizing incident occurred when a jet carrying over 200 people neared the runway at Daegu International Airport, some 240 kilometers (149 miles) southeast of Seoul.

The plane landed safely, although some individuals were sent to the hospital. There were no major injuries or property damage.

The 31A and 26A emergency seats on its 14 A321-200 planes will no longer be available for purchase as of Sunday, AFP reported.

"As a safety precaution, this measure will apply even if the flights are full," it added.

On a domestic trip, the aircraft was carrying close to 200 passengers when it drew closer to the ground on Friday at Daegu International Airport, roughly 240 kilometers (149 miles) southeast of Seoul.

The man, who authorities said was in his 30s, opened the aircraft door while it was around 200 meters (650 feet) in the air.

Daegu police arrested the man, who told officers he was "under stress after losing a job recently."

A police officer told AFP that "he felt the flight was taking longer than it should have been and felt suffocated inside the cabin" and that he "wanted out quickly."  

For breaking the rules governing flight safety, the traveler might spend up to 10 years in jail.

At the time of the incident, one passenger recorded a video of the door being torn open, with the fabric seatbacks and passengers' hair fluttering wildly.

Another video posted to social media showed passengers being buffeted by high gusts of wind while seated in the emergency escape row adjacent to an open door.

A door of an Asiana Airlines plane carrying 194 people opened right before landing at Daegu International Airport on Friday, leaving nine passengers with breathing difficulty, but the plane landed safely, officials said. pic.twitter.com/XJJrwDu8Dv

— Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) May 26, 2023

According to the transport ministry, 12 people were transported to the hospital after suffering from respiratory problems, but no serious injuries or damage were reported.

A 44-year-old passenger told Yonhap that "it was chaos with people close to the door appearing to faint one by one and flight attendants calling out for doctors on board."

"I thought the plane was blowing up. I thought I was going to die like this."

According to a representative of the transport ministry, this was "the first such incident" in the history of Korean aviation.