The South Korean government said Wednesday it is considering a plan to include domestic airlines in a proposed safety watchlist of air carriers with high risks of accidents.

The so-called blacklist system, to be announced in October, is similar to the one initiated by the European Union (EU) last year, which limits 179 air carriers from 14 nations over safety concerns, the Ministry of Construction and Transportation said.

"While the system was originally intended for foreign airlines, the government decided to include local companies as well," said a ministry official, declining to be named.

The four domestic airlines expected to be covered by the system are - Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Hansung Airlines.

The ministry said it will refer to the EU watch list in creating its own version.

However, the listing of local firms would be based on records of casualties during the past five years due to a lack of safety-related records by the government, the official said.