First Korean woman astronaut and first Korean to fly into space. Born in Kwanju, South Korea, Yi earned her master’s degree in mechanical engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in 2002. She was working toward her doctorate in bioengineering when, in 2006, she beat out some 36 000 South Koreans who applied to train in Russia for a flight to the International Space Station (ISS); the opportunity arose after the South Korean government offered the Russian space programme about £22 million for her training. Yi lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and flew to the ISS on 8 April 2008, becoming South Korea’s first and only astronaut. She worked aboard the station as a senior researcher for nine days, carrying out experiments ranging from testing the life span of fruit flies in space to observing how plants grow without gravity. Upon re-entry, the Soyuz module veered off course and landed 420 km away in Kazakhstan, and Yi sustained back injuries that later required her hospitalization. South Korea’s astronaut programme ended in August 2014, with Yi moving on to a new career in business.