Korea's first astronaut Yi So-yeon refuted Wednesday a lawmaker's claims that taxpayers' money spent on her has been a waste since she is pursuing a seemingly unrelated degree in business, saying that still her ultimate goal is to help advance Korean space technology.
"It was a decision I made after realizing that I can't live the rest of my life talking about what I did in space for 11 days. I chose to pursue an MBA because I want to be someone who connects science with investors," Yi told Yonhap News Agency by phone.
The 35-year-old female scientist became the first Korean to fly in space in April 2008 with two Russian cosmonauts aboard the Soyuz TMA-12 and carried out various scientific experiments.
Her remarks were in response to an opposition lawmaker's criticism of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) during a parliamentary audit on Monday that it has failed to nurture young individuals gifted in science despite its massive expenditures provided for by taxpayers' money.
The denunciation by Rep. Choi Jae-chun of the Democratic Party aroused controversy because he mentioned Yi during his elaboration as if her ongoing business administration study in the United States was an example of the said failure.
Choi also accused KARI of paying Yi full travel costs including air fares whenever she went abroad to make a speech or give a lecture, while Yi "pocketed" all the fees.
KARI has reportedly spent 26 billion won ($25 million) worth of taxpayers' money for its "astronaut cultivation project" between 2005 and 2008, according to Choi's findings.
Rebutting the controversy, Yi explained that the decision to study business administration overseas was always part of her plan to contribute to advancing Korea's science technology.
"We can't make good use of scientific findings without corporate or government support. I believe that in order (to facilitate that) I needed to better understand the minds of businessmen or policymakers."
After traveling to space, Yi worked as a researcher at KARI and was appointed by the government as a space ambassador.
She offered apology, though, for the misunderstanding she may have caused and said she is making every effort to devote herself to the advancement of the country's science technology.
Yi has been living in the U.S. after marrying a Korean-American doctor in August. (Yonhap News)
