Dr. Yi So Yeon visited the world largest Aerospace Boeing Everett manufacture in May 15, 2012. She was very impressed about the Boeing producing one airplane a day and she expressed that was incredible experience to see how the airplane producing like just other products. According to Joong Ang Daily news Interview with JoySeattle, dated May 15, 2012, She is hoping that Korea can produce the airplane even if it's small airplane someday in Korea. Dr. Yi expressed that she feels that is her responsiblity to tell to the Korean people about the Boeing Company how much she was amazed by how it produces the airplane product which is very much impressive the process management, the Boeing production system which set up of lean products world class levels of customer satisfactionin Boeing Airplane.

Also Dr. Yi expressed that Seattle is a beautiful city, great environment and appreciates kindness and warm welcome by the Washingtonians.

On April, 8, 2008, At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 17 Commander Sergei Volkov Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko and South Korean spaceflight participant Dr. So-yeon Yi headed to the launch pad for their liftoff on the Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft to the International Space Station. Volkov and Kononenko spent six months on the station, while Dr. Yi was spent nine days on the complex under a commercial agreement between South Korea and the Russian Federal Space Agency. See the following photos provided via NASA:

For Dr. Yi's Space trip, Korean Government had 36,000 people applications for the candidates. Dr. Yi SoYeon was chosen among the 36,000 applicants. Her speech about "I Sang in Space" was a great presentation with her detailed trip information On April, 8, 2008, At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 17 the space shutle equiped was a bit of old but, trip was managible and made total 10 days in the space. Her presentation and speech was a great information and a great deal of learning about the space trip. Her singing sound was clear which could tell that she is a great singer....Audiance was glad that she didn't cut her hair during her trip and glad that she was able to have cup ramyen and kimchee although wondering how the smell was like in space...even Ketchup was available. She emphasized that her intensive training made her space trip easier and her expectation was there for her journey to space although the space shutle seemed 30 years of old facilities. Dr. Yi took the special training at the NASA before actual trip to the sapce. Her experiment and study of science project was able bringing some knowledge to the earth and share the stories about it which you can see more detail some of her presentation in below:

ROK Consulate hosted welcome reception at the Consul General Song Yong Wan residence last May 11th, 2012 at 6:00 PM. Consulate staff, Korean American Community leaders gathered and welcomed Dr. Yi So Yean. Meanwhile Consular Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahn Young Jip which he was on the way to returning to South Korea next day from San Francisco also visited Seattle and made special welcome speech, and Bill Stafford from Boeing Future of Flight gave welcome speech. Dr. Yi So Yean expressed special thanks to Consul General including other officials and to the Community leaders . Soyeon Yi (Ph.D.) Astronaut and senior researcher of Korea Aerospace research institute center made short speech that she is proud of Korea which develped country and significant economic improvement since last 1950's Korean Korean and expressed that she is looking forward to giving keynote speech for other events: May 15, 2012 in Everett, at the Boeing Future of Flight and also Korean American Federal Way Community invited on May 16, 2012. Community leaders have epxressedd that they are proud of her as the first women who achieved her dream as an Astronaut in Asia and made successful trip to space.

Dr. Yi So Yeon was one of the two finalists chosen on 25 December 2006 through the Korean Astronaut Program.

On 5 September 2007, the Korean Ministry of Science and Technology chose Ko San, over Yi So-yeon, following performance and other tests during their training in Russia.

On 7 March 2008, she was selected to train with the primary crew, and on 10 March the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology announced that Yi would replace Ko. Yi was launched into space on board Soyuz TMA-12, with two Russian cosmonauts.

South Korea is reported to have paid Russia $20 Million for Yi's space flight.

Dr. Yi So Yeon is the third country, after the United Kingdom and Iran, to have a woman Astronaunt as its first space traveler. However, she is the first women Astronaunt in Asia who had first space trip.

South Korean astronaut Dr. So-yeon Yi launched to the International Space Station on a Soyuz spacecraft with the Expedition 17 crew and returned on a Soyuz spacecraft with the Expedition 16 crew under a commercial agreement with the Russian Federal Space Agency. The space trip was 11 days. You can see the excitement of count down the space shuttle lift off by ROK President Lee and many citizens of South Korea:  See more detail

Everyone is invited to the Future of Flight Foundation Presents: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE FUTURE
COMMUNITY SPEAKER SERIES:
“I Sang In Space” Keynote Speaker: Dr. Yi So Yeon: May 15, 2012:

May 15, 2012 FOF Aviation Center 8415 Paine Field Blvd Mukilteo, WA 98275

Speaker Presentation: 7:00pm to 8:30pm Boeing Theatre FREE to the Public Limited Seating Available!

Meet the Speaker: 6:00pm to 7:00pm [$20, Refreshments included, RSVP & prepayment required] kendall@futureofflight.org