Soyuz TMA-12 carried Yi So-yeon, the first South Korean in space, to the ISS.
The spacecraft launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome on 8 April 2008 with Russian cosmonauts Sergey Volkov and Oleg Kononenko. It docked with the station’s Pirs module on 10 April, delivering Yi for the visiting expedition associated with Expedition 17.
Yi flew through South Korea’s astronaut program as a spaceflight participant sponsored through an agreement with Russia. She had originally been selected as the backup to Ko San, but became the primary flier after Russian officials requested a crew change. During her stay, she conducted Korean scientific experiments involving biology, plant growth, human physiology and other effects of spaceflight.
Another frequent mix-up concerns her return. Yi did not come back on TMA-12; she returned aboard Soyuz TMA-11 on 19 April 2008 with Expedition 16 crew members Peggy Whitson and Yuri Malenchenko. TMA-12 therefore identifies her launch vehicle and outbound mission, not her ride home.