First Korean To Go to Space in Russian Spacecraft

News Item: "Korea, Russia to expand bilateral cooperation in rocket launch, astronaut training" More.

Commentary: One would assume that, with very close US-ROK alliance, the first Korean astronaut would hitch a ride in an American Space Shuttle. Not so -- South Korea's astronaut (or cosmonaut?) Ko San (pictured) will lift up to space in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Who would have imagined such a development -- South Koreans, who have long sided with the US in the Cold War, including the space race, would now thank the Russians for the historic ride? Perhaps it is indicative of changed multi-polar relations that South Korea has fostered since the 90s, veering away from too much dependence on an unilateral relation with the US.