All Astronauts
ROOKIERetiredKARI
ROOKIERetiredKARIKARI·🇰🇷 South Korea·Born 1978
Yi So-yeon
First Korean in space.
264h
Hours in Space
1
Missions
0
EVAs
—
EVA Time
Despite Earth's vastness, being up there makes you realize how small and vulnerable humans are.
Biography
First Korean in space. Biotech engineer who conducted 18 experiments aboard the ISS over 11 days.
Before NASABiotechnologist with a master's in mechanical engineering from KAIST, working on nano-bio research before being selected from 36,000 applicants to the Korean Astronaut Program.
Notable Missions
Soyuz TMA-12 / ISS EP-16
Beyond the Mission
Causes They Champion
Korean STEM education and women in science
Languages
KoreanEnglishRussian
Awards & Honors
- Order of Civil Merit (Republic of Korea)
Fun fact
She brought specially-developed space kimchi to the ISS — Korean scientists spent years and millions of dollars adapting the fermented dish for microgravity, partly to ensure it would not produce odors that would bother her crewmates.