This July 2022 photo shows a Korean Air flight. A bullet was found inside a piece of carry-on luggage belonging to a Korean Air flight attendant who was bound for Bangkok on Tuesday. Courtesy of Korean Air

A bullet has been found inside a piece of carry-on luggage belonging to a Korean Air flight attendant who was bound for Thailand.

According to police on Thursday, a 7.62-millimeter-caliber live bullet was found in her bag at Incheon International Airport during baggage inspection on Tuesday when she was preparing to board a flight to Bangkok at 7:30 a.m.

An airport explosive ordnance disposal team was immediately deployed to collect the bullet.

The flight attendant recognized that the bullet belonged to her, saying that she found it somewhere when she was a child. However, she said she was unaware that it was inside the bag.

After police and the company concluded that she wasn't deliberately trying to smuggle the bullet into Thailand, they allowed her to board the flight for work. Police said they would question her again when she returns.

Under Thai law, it is mandatory for everyone to obtain authorization prior to the possession, use, sale and import of firearms. Violations of the rules and regulations set out in the law could bring serious consequences, including imprisonment and the death penalty, according to the Thailand Law Forum, which provides an online English-language resource concerning the laws of Thailand.

It was not the first time that a bullet had been found on one of the company's planes. On March 10, two live bullets were found under a passenger seat on a Korean Air plane about to take off to fly to Manila, the Philippines, causing more than 200 passengers to evacuate the aircraft.