 |
|
S. Korea‘s stem-cell scientist Hwang Woo-suk presented himself to the Disciplinary Committee of Seoul National University examining his conduct on March 17, 2006. By Kim Jongsoo.
|
Hwang is charged with masterminding overall fabrication process
South Korean prosecutors confirmed Friday that stem-cell scientist Hwang Woo-suk's claims of having cloned human stem cells and developed patient-specific stem cells were fraudulent. They also said Hwang masterminded the overall process of fabricating studies on stem-cell technology but was deceived, as he claimed, by assistant researcher Kim Sun-jong with key data. Kim smuggled in-vitro fertilized stem cells into Hwang's lab to make it look like the scientist was successful in creating genuine stem cells, prosecutors confirmed.Kim was under constant stress after he failed to cultivate the scientist's purported human embryonic stem cells, they said. (Yonhap News Agency) The prosecutors then indicted Hwang on charges of fraud, embezzlement and breach of South Korea's life ethics law without physical detention as they wrapped up their five-month probe. Kim was charged with criminal obstruction and three other researchers were charged with fraud. "Hwang asked his team to fabricate various data, including photos, the number of stem cells created and DNA test results, featured in the 2004 and 2005 papers published in the U.S. journal Science," senior prosecutor Lee In-kyu said in a nationally-televised news conference. Hwang embezzled 2.8 billion won (3 million USD) worth of state and civilian donations to his research team and purchased human ova from donors in violation of the life ethics law that went into effect in January 2005, he said. Hwang used part of the money for private purposes and the rest to illegally purchase ova, donate funding to tens of leading politicians and pay executives of large conglomerates that made donations to his research team, he added. (Yonhap News Agency)
