Ko San
Encyclopedia
Ko San is a South Korea
n researcher at the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology.
Ko was born in Busan
. His father died when he was a boy, and his mother raised Ko and his sister. A graduate of Hanyoung Foreign Language High School
, Ko went on to study mathematics at Seoul National University
. He won a bronze medal at a national amateur boxing tournament in 2004 and climbed a 7,546-meter high mountain in China’s Xinjiang
Province, Muztagh Ata
, the same year.
On December 25 2006, he was chosen as one of two finalists in the Korean Astronaut Program
, set to fly as a crew on the Russian Soyuz TMA-12
in April 2008.
On September 5, 2007, the Korean
Ministry of Science and Technology chose Ko San over Yi So-Yeon
based on performance in tests during training in Russia
. However, on March 10, 2008, this decision was reversed, after the Russian Federal Space Agency
asked for a replacement because Ko apparently violated security protocol for maintaining secret information twice at a Russian training center.
He will graduate in 2012 with a master's degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government
at Harvard University
.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n researcher at the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology.
Ko was born in Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
. His father died when he was a boy, and his mother raised Ko and his sister. A graduate of Hanyoung Foreign Language High School
Hanyoung Foreign Language High School
Hanyoung Foreign Language High School is a selective private high school in southeast Seoul, South Korea. The medium-sized college preparatory school was founded in 1990 with the goal of educating successful leaders of the future, and is one of the six foreign-language high schools in Seoul...
, Ko went on to study mathematics at Seoul National University
Seoul National University
Seoul National University , colloquially known in Korean as Seoul-dae , is a national research university in Seoul, Korea, ranked 24th in the world in publications in an analysis of data from the Science Citation Index, 7th in Asia and 42nd in the world by the 2011 QS World University Rankings...
. He won a bronze medal at a national amateur boxing tournament in 2004 and climbed a 7,546-meter high mountain in China’s Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
Province, Muztagh Ata
Muztagh Ata
Muztagh Ata, or Muztagata , is the second highest of the mountains which form the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau . It is sometimes regarded as being part of the Kunlun Shan, although physically it is more closely connected to the Pamirs...
, the same year.
On December 25 2006, he was chosen as one of two finalists in the Korean Astronaut Program
Korean Astronaut Program
The Korean Astronaut Program was an initiative by the South Korean government to send the first Korean into space via the Russian space program.-Program overview:...
, set to fly as a crew on the Russian Soyuz TMA-12
Soyuz TMA-12
Soyuz TMA-12 was a Soyuz mission to the International Space Station which was launched by a Soyuz FG rocket at 11:16 UTC on 8 April 2008. It docked to the Pirs module of the station on 10 April 2008. Landing occurred at 03:37 on 24 October...
in April 2008.
On September 5, 2007, the Korean
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
Ministry of Science and Technology chose Ko San over Yi So-Yeon
Yi So-yeon
Yi So-yeon is a South Korean scientist and Ph.D. graduate of KAIST . On April 8, 2008, she became the first Korean and the second Asian woman to fly in space, after Chiaki Mukai.-Biography:Yi So-yeon was born to father Yi Gil-soo...
based on performance in tests during training in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. However, on March 10, 2008, this decision was reversed, after the Russian Federal Space Agency
Russian Federal Space Agency
The Russian Federal Space Agency , commonly called Roscosmos and abbreviated as FKA and RKA , is the government agency responsible for the Russian space science program and general aerospace research. It was previously the Russian Aviation and Space Agency .Headquarters of Roscosmos are located...
asked for a replacement because Ko apparently violated security protocol for maintaining secret information twice at a Russian training center.
He will graduate in 2012 with a master's degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.