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Two people have been killed and another wounded in a shooting outside the South Korean embassy in the Libyan capital Tripoli, security officials say.

Gunmen opened fire from a passing car on a security post, killing a guard and a civilian, and wounding a second guard.

There were no South Korean casualties and the embassy was empty at the time, the country's Foreign Ministry said.

The militant group Islamic State said it carried out the attack.

A South Korean Foreign Ministry official, quoted by AP, said the attack happened just after midnight on Sunday.

Three South Korean nationals - two of them diplomats - were in the official residence at the time, which is in the same compound, the official added. They were unhurt.

The embassy itself has been closed for several months, but officials continue to use it.

Libya has been in turmoil since the Nato-backed removal of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

IS has a presence in different parts of Libya, and says it is behind several attacks on foreign targets in Libya including embassies and oil fields.