By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
The first Korean female astronautical candidate, Yi So-yeon, 29, will earn her doctorate degree from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).
KAIST said Thursday that Yi would graduate from the school with a doctorate in bio and brain engineering on Friday.
But she will not participate in the graduation ceremony due to her training schedule in Russia, the school said.
She will also be granted a special award in recognition of her contribution to improving Korean space science and her alma mater's image.
Despite a busy training schedule for her first trip to outer space from April 8 through 19, she was able to complete her doctoral dissertation, the school said.
``I frequently stayed up all night to research and write the paper. It was tough experience for me. Thanks to ceaseless support from professors and colleagues, however, I was able to complete the task,'' she said in an e-mail interview with the media. ``I have done my best in studying, exercising and so on. I'm sure that my active and participatory attitude brought about this honorable moment.''
She is now training at Gagarin Center in Russia as a replacement astronaut in case Koh San, 31, who is to be the first Korean astronaut, is unable to go into orbit.
Along with Koh, the doctorate degree holder was selected as one of two Korean candidates from more than 36,000 applicants last year. Koh was finally picked as the primary candidate last September.
The two have been receiving training at Russia's Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center near Moscow, while working as space ambassadors for the Ministry of Science & Technology.