hankyoreh

South Korea's first astronaut returned home after her historic mission to the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting the Earth, the government said Monday.

Yi So-yeon, who blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 8 and returned to earth on April 19, made South Korea the 36th country to send a astronaut into space. She is the 49th woman to reach orbit and the 158th person to visit the ISS.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said Yi recuperated at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center outside of Moscow where she received a detailed medical check.

The 29-year-old biosystems engineer had complained of backaches after some difficulties during her return to Earth. The module carrying Yi and two other astronauts missed the designated landing zone by 420 kilometers, had communication problems and was found lying on its side.

The ministry and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) said Yi and backup astronaut Ko San will work to promote the country's manned space program and other space research endeavors.

Yi and Ko, who are KARI researchers, will also act as science and technology ambassadors to highlight the importance of space exploration and give lectures on their experience.

Yi is also expected to visit President Lee Myung-bak and go to the United Nations to meet Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

SEOUL, April 28 (Yonhap)