South Korea may make a last minute change to its choice of first astronaut to go into space, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said Monday.
A senior official in the ministry, who declined to be identified, said the proposed change is based on requests made by Russian evaluators, who wanted to change Ko San to Yi So-yeon.
The source did not explain in detail the reason for the request made by the Russians, but hinted that Ko may have violated training protocol.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is expected to hold a news briefing to announce what actions it will take later in the day.
If the change is made, 29-year-old Yi So-yeon, who holds a doctoral degree in bio systems engineering, will be the first South Korean national to go into space and the first South Korean women. The launch is scheduled for April 8.
If the change is made, Ko, would become the backup candidate. (Yonhap)