[Reading Science] Became the 36th Spacefaring Nation but Lost the 'Korea's First Astronaut'

Dr. Lee So-yeon before boarding the Russian spacecraft.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] As the era of 'New Space,' where ordinary people enjoy space tourism, has begun, Koreans have also started to show interest in space travel.

The first Korean to travel to space was Dr. Lee So-yeon, affiliated with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), in 2008. On April 8 of that year, Dr. Lee boarded the Russian Soyuz launch vehicle and visited the International Space Station (ISS), staying for 10 days during which she conducted various space experiments, becoming Korea's first 'astronaut' and the world's 49th female astronaut. Korea became the 36th country to produce an astronaut.

Dr. Lee was finally selected as an astronaut candidate on December 25, 2006. At that time, the government broadcast the selection process live with a broadcasting company, sparking a 'space fever' among the public. A total of 36,204 people applied for the selection process conducted in 2006. Starting with a 3.5 km run for physical fitness testing, the eight-month selection process was a procedure to choose a 'perfect' person in every aspect, including general knowledge, language, society, and space adaptability. After fierce competition, Dr. Lee and Mr. Go San were selected as astronaut candidates. From March of the following year, they entered the Russian Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center and underwent a year of rigorous training, ultimately earning the honor of being the first Koreans to travel to space. Originally, Mr. Go was selected as an astronaut, but he was disqualified for violating security regulations one month before the official flight, and Dr. Lee seized the opportunity.

However, Dr. Lee's space travel had lasting consequences. The cost of training and sending Dr. Lee and Mr. Go to space was as much as 26 billion KRW. Yet, a few years after becoming an astronaut, Dr. Lee abruptly left for the United States in 2012 and enrolled in an MBA program unrelated to her major. The following year, she married a Korean-American and currently resides in the U.S. According to the original plan, Dr. Lee was supposed to be an icon of Korean space development and lead research and development (R&D) for Korea's space advancement. The astronaut, nurtured at a cost of 26 billion KRW, left, and along with her departure, the know-how of manned space technology also disappeared.

Meanwhile, Johnny Kim, a Korean-American, has attracted Korean interest as a candidate astronaut for NASA's Artemis program, a lunar landing project scheduled for 2024. In 2017, he was selected as a NASA astronaut, beating a competition ratio of 18,000 to 1. He was also named among the final 18 astronaut candidates for the Artemis program announced by NASA at the end of last year. Kim comes from a representative minority Asian immigrant family in the U.S. and endured a heartbreaking family history, including his abusive father being shot dead by police responding to a shooting incident. Afterward, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy SEALs, earned the Silver Star, entered Harvard Medical School to become a surgeon, and ultimately became a NASA astronaut, a position requiring the highest qualifications. He overcame the limitations of being Asian and the pain of domestic violence. Kim is giving a strong message to the Asian American community, which has been in decline due to a surge in hate crimes.