The nation's first astronaut Yi Soyeon will return to Earth on Saturday afternoon, Korean time, after concluding her 12-day mission in space.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology says she'll return on a Soyuz TMA-Eleven spacecraft that will land in Kazakhstan at 5:38 p.m.

The ministry said Yi began her trip back to earth at around two p.m.

Once arriving and completing the official schedule, Yi will take a physical and then recuperate at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center Hospital for one week. She'll return home late this month.