A passenger on an Asiana Airlines flight reportedly told police he opened a door on the plane minutes before it landed in Daegu, South Korea, because he was "uncomfortable".

The man, in his 30s, told police he "wanted to get off the plane quickly", Yonhap News Agency reported, citing the Daegu Dongbu Police Station.

He also told police he was stressed after losing his job recently.

Reuters could not immediately reach police at the station.

The man opened the door during the flight on Friday when the plane was about 213 metres above the ground, causing panic onboard.

Nine passengers were sent to the hospital with breathing issues. All were dismissed from the hospital after about two hours, a fire department official said.

Police sought an arrest warrant for the detained man on Saturday for violating the Aviation Security Act and other offences, Yonhap reported.

Officials gave the man's surname as Lee but not his full name, as is the usual custom.

Jin Seong-hyun, a former Korean Air cabin safety official, said that as far has he knew, this case was unprecedented, but that passengers have opened emergency exits without authorisation while the plane is on the ground.

A South Korean transport ministry official said on Friday it was possible to open emergency exits at or near ground level because the pressures inside and outside the cabin were similar. 

The Airbus A321-200 plane landed safely at around 12:40pm local time after it had set off from the holiday island of Jeju an hour earlier, the airport's flight schedule showed.

A video, reported to have been shot by a passenger, showed the moments before the landing, with a door open and wind rushing in as passengers sat nearby.

The passengers included teenage athletes on their way to a track and field competition.

Some screamed and cried in panic, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing their unidentified coach.

It quoted other passengers as saying they had suffered severe ear pain after the door opened.

It said some cabin crew shouted for help from passengers to prevent the door from being opened.

Reuters/AP