Jin Air's Boeing B737-800 aircraft / Korea Times file

A flight of Korean low-cost carrier Jin Air from Japan to Korea was grounded Tuesday due to a mechanical issue with the aircraft, according to industry sources Thursday.

The Boeing 737-800 aircraft of Jin Air flight LJ350 from Japan's Kitakyushu Airport to Incheon International Airport was found with a problem in the horizontal stabilizer during a pre-flight inspection at 9:30 a.m.

Jin Air, a subsidiary of domestic industry leader Korean Air, determined that the issue required a component replacement.

The airline subsequently canceled the flight, and all 87 passengers disembarked. They were later transferred to a subsequent scheduled flight, which departed at 2 p.m.

The flight was of the same B737-800 model as Jeju Air's doomed 7C2216 flight, which crashed in Korea on Dec. 29, claiming the lives of 179 passengers.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport recently launched a special safety inspection on all B737-800 planes operated by six Korean airlines following the Jeju Air incident. (Yonhap)