South Korean Science Ministry may change the candidate for South Korea's first astronaut under request by Russian evaluators, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported on Monday.
The Russian evaluators wanted to change Ko San, who was selected by South Korean Science Ministry last September as the country's first astronaut candidate, to Yi So-yeon, Yonhap quoted an unnamed official of the ministry as saying.
The official hinted that the Russian side made the request as Ko may have violated training protocol, Yonhap said.
The ministry is expected to hold a news briefing to announce what actions it will take later in the day, it said.
If Yi So-yeon, 29, was pointed as the astronaut, she will be the first South Korean national and the first South Korean women to go into space.
Under an agreement between South Korea and Russia, Russia will help to send a South Korean astronaut into space on the Soyuz spacecraft in April 2008 and let the South Korean spend seven to eight days on the space station orbiting the Earth.
Ko and Yi were selected as the No. 1 and No. 2 candidates for the space travel from 36,206 South Korean hopefuls last September. They have received extensive training programs in South Korea and Russia in preparation for the travel.
Source:Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article