YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea — A Korean National Police officer sitting in a U.S. base guard shack was shot in what officials say was an accidental weapons discharge by a South Korean contract security guard, U.S. Forces Korea officials said Wednesday.

According to a USFK news release, the KNP guard was shot in the ankle and is listed in good condition after being taken to a local hospital. The incident occurred Wednesday at Camp Market in Bupyong.

Camp Market, about halfway between Seoul and Inchon International Airport, is home to a military postal detachment, a Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office, the Printing and Publications Command-Korea and several other small detachments.

For several years, base security in South Korea has been supplied by a combination of U.S. military police, contract security guards and Korean National Police, who are called upon for crowd control during demonstrations outside base gates.

According to the release, a senior member of the U.S. Army staff at Yongsan Garrison will visit the injured policeman soon. An investigation is under way by U.S. authorities and Korean National Police officials.

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