Two different types of plasma probes have been developed and are currently in operation on board the KOMPSAT-l. One is the cylindrical Langmuir Probe (LP) that measures the electron density and temperature from its current-voltage characteristics in thermal plasmas, and the other is the Electron Temperature Sensor (ETS) which directly gives the information of the ambient electron temperatures. These plasma probes provide the electron properties of the local nighttime ionosphere at the KOMPSAT-l altitudes. In this paper we briefly describe the probes and the initial results obtained from these probes since the beginning of their normal operation in April, 2000.