The two finalists selected Monday to become the nation's first astronaut will be treated as national assets with each assigned a personal manager.

The Science and Technology Ministry says the two candidates will be eligible for paid work at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. They will also receive incentives for their overseas activities and a risk premium for their training in Russia.

The personal managers will oversee the candidates' activities including schedules and media interviews.

The two finalists are 30-year-old researcher Go San of Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology and 28-year-old female doctoral student Lee So-yeon of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.