More than five thousand people have applied to become the nation's first astronaut.

The Korea Aerospace Research Institute said that women made up 870 of the five-thousand or so applicants who had signed up as of Sunday, the third day of applications.

Applications will continued to be accepted via the Web site woojuro.or.kr through July 14th.

With the final selection due in December, the chosen astronaut will receive training from next January through March 2008 before boarding the Russian manned spacecraft Soyuz a month later.

The project is part of the government's plan to develop the aerospace industry as a national growth engine.

As of 2004, some 420 people from 34 countries have ventured into space.