First Korean astronaut to marry in U.S. on Aug. 2

Yi So-yeon, the first South Korean in space, is to marry in the United States this month.

The 35-year-old scientist’s bridegroom-to-be is an American eye doctor of Korean ancestry. Their wedding ceremony will be held in Long Beach, California, on Aug. 2, according to Korea Aerospace Research Institute in Daejeon.

Yi currently resides in the States.

She graduated from Gwangju Science High School in 1997 and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Daejeon.

Her doctorate in biotech systems was conferred on Feb. 29, 2008, but she was unable to attend the ceremony due to her training commitments in Russia.

She went aboard the International Space Station on April 8, 2008, becoming the first Korean astronaut go into space. Presently, Yi is a senior researcher at the aerospace institute.

By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)