South Korea announced Monday that a woman who is a bioengineering student would become its first astronaut. She is scheduled to blast off on board a Russian Soyuz rocket on April 8 on a trip to the International Space Station that will be watched on television by millions of South Koreans. The astronaut, Yi So-yeon, 29, was selected after the Russian space authorities accused the South Korean man who was initially chosen for the mission of breaking training rules. While South Korea appeared unhappy that it had been asked to make the switch so close to the scheduled launching, women’s groups said Ms. Yi’s participation was likely to further improve the status of women in South Korea’s traditionally male-dominated society.

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