A female mechanical engineer will become South Korea's first astronaut to travel into
space, Korea's Ministry of Education, Science and Technology announced March 10.
Yi So-yeon, 29, originally served as the back-up astronaut for fellow South Korean Ko San
for the April 8 mission aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, but the switch was made at the
request of Russia's Federal Space Agency. Space agency officials said that Ko had violated
training protocol by taking sensitive material outside the Russian space center.
Ko, a 31-year-old technology researcher, apologized for the misstep, which officials said
appeared unintentional. Now he will serve as Yi's back-up.
South Korean aerospace officials said that Yi has been training side-by-side with Ko and
should not have any problems taking over the mission. The two were selected as finalists
from some 36,000 candidates. They have been undergoing evaluation and training at
Russia's Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center since March 2007.
"It's an unexpected mission and I was surprised," Yi told the Korea Times, after the
announcement. "But part of the mission is for me to cope with this kind of situation as an
astronaut."
Yi plans to conduct 14 science experiments while at the International Space Station "to
quench the thirst of both the scientists and children who asked me to do them," she said at a
recent news conference. She also plans to treat her fellow astronauts to a feast that will
feature a variety of Korean food, including kimchi, she said.
After a weeklong stay on the space station, Yi will return to Earth aboard a re-entry capsule
on April 19.
- Compiled from wire reports