Korea's first astronaut to marry eye doctor
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Yi So-yeon
By Kwon Ji-youn
Korea’s first astronaut Yi So-yeon, 35, will marry a Korean American ophthalmologist in California today (local time), according to the Korea Aerospace Research Institute.
Yi, who is currently residing in America, will tie the knot with the doctor, identified as Jung Jae-hoon, 39, at Long Beach, Calif.
In April 2008, Yi became the first Korean to travel to space aboard a Russian Soyuz spaceship that successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) where she stayed for 10 days.
The mission was broadcast in real-time, raising hopes of South Korea making significant gains in space exploration and development.
Yi graduated from Gwangju Science High School in 1997 and received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in 2001 and 2002, respectively. She received a doctorate in biological science at KAIST in 2008.
In her wedding invitation, Yi expressed her gratitude to those who have prayed for her and the groom’s future as man and wife, asking them to join them in celebrating the event.
Yi currently serves as an adjunct professor at KAIST, where she lectures on space experiments, bio-systems and human space flight. She also serves as a researcher at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute.
Yi enrolled in the Master of Business Administration program at the University of California, Berkeley, in September 2012.
Her book, “The 11th Endeavor: The First Astronaut in Korea, Yi So-yeon’s Full Story,” was published in August 2012.
It details her full life story, about her family, friends, student life and experience. She talks in depth about finding the right career path and overcoming the fear of failure.