The United States has agreed to exempt U.S.-bound air passengers from South Korea from a last minute inspection, South Korea's transportation ministry said Tuesday.

Since an attempted terrorist attack using liquid explosives on a U.S.-bound flight in 2006, all U.S.-bound passengers, not only from South Korea but from any country, have been subjected to a second inspection for liquids at boarding gates, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Seoul asked to be exempted from the costly practice last year, citing its thorough inspection of all departing passengers.

Washington recently agreed to exempt the country from the last-minute inspection of U.S.-bound passengers following additional measures by Seoul to check connecting passengers originating from a third country, the ministry said in a press release.

According to the ministry, South Korea is the first country to be exempted from the practice.

Such a decision by the United States partly comes as the country scored the highest 98.57 points in a 2011 aviation safety evaluation by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

The ministry said the discontinuation of the second inspection will annually save 2.4 million passengers from the inconvenience, which, in a recent survey of passengers, was named the most irritating and inconvenient process while traveling to the United States.

It will also allow local airports and airlines save up to 5.7 billion won ($4.9 million) a year, the ministry said. (Yonhap News)