1 of 36,000: Korea's First Astronaut Urges Girls to Dream Big

(MENAFN) Yi So-yeon, South Korea's first astronaut, urged young people, especially girls who face prejudice or perceived barriers, to set no limits on their ambitions, telling media the same message she wishes she had heard as a child.

“Don’t limit your dreams or your abilities,” Yi told media during the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Türkiye's Mediterranean resort city of Antalya.

“If you do your best, you can achieve anything you want,” she said.

Yi flew to space in 2008 as the first South Korean to do so. Growing up, she said, the idea never crossed her mind, because her country had neither a space agency nor a human spaceflight program at the time.

“It never even occurred to me to think about becoming an astronaut,” she said. “I hardly knew what the word ‘astronaut’ meant.”

Her outlook shifted while she was finishing her doctorate, when the South Korean government launched a program to pick the nation's first astronaut.

“I thought, ‘What if I conducted experiments in space instead of on the ground?’ That would be amazing, because in space you are constantly floating and experiencing so many different things,” she said.

With no South Korean astronaut before her, Yi said she grew curious about what it took to qualify.

“That pure curiosity led me to apply for the astronaut program,” she said.

She did not expect to be chosen from nearly 36,000 applicants. After a selection process of about 10 months, she was named to the mission.

In April 2008, Yi rode a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station, where she spent roughly 10 days conducting scientific experiments.

'You can turn your dreams into reality'

Looking back 18 years later, Yi said advances in technology were opening doors earlier generations could not have imagined.

“I especially want to tell children growing up today, and girls who feel they face certain limits or prejudices, not to restrict their dreams and abilities,” she said.

“We now have so much technology, and artificial intelligence is one of those technologies.”

Aspiring astronauts should keep their passion, curiosity, love of learning and energy alive, she said, while looking after their physical and mental health.

“You can turn your dreams into reality,” she said.

Yi has attended several editions of the International Astronautical Congress, which gathers space agencies, companies, researchers and students from around the world. She called it an important chance to learn about emerging technologies and meet potential research and commercial partners.

“It is also a wonderful environment for learning about space,” she said. “That is why I greatly enjoy being here and participating in the event.”

This is her first visit to Antalya for the congress, and Yi said she was enjoying the city and its warm weather.

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