Hwang to resume research

2006-06-28 13:03

Seoul - The disgraced South Korean scientist who falsely claimed breakthroughs in creating stem cells from cloned human embryos plans to open a new lab and resume research next month, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

Hwang Woo-suk has secured enough private funding to open a laboratory in Seoul early next month, said Lee Geon-haeng.

"Dr Hwang feels that the only way to win people's forgiveness and reclaim his honour is to resume research and show accomplishments," Lee said.

"He's executing his plans very carefully in efforts not to stir any misunderstanding."

The prestigious Seoul National University, where Hwang used to work, concluded that his claims to have created the world's first stem cells from cloned human embryos were fabricated and fired him earlier this year.

Hwang has admitted to inflating some data for his research claims, published by prestigious international journals in 2004 and 2005.

However, he has maintained that he has the technology to clone embryonic stem cells and was deceived by underlings.

Hwang and other researchers on his former SNU team will try to replicate the cloning of embryonic stem cells at their new lab, but are concerned whether they will be able to get enough human eggs for research, Lee said.

South Korea's Health Ministry has withdrawn Hwang's research licence, preventing him from cloning human embryos or receiving eggs for such work. It wasn't immediately clear how Hwang could resume his previous work.

The trained veterinarian had been treated as a national hero in South Korea, and still draws a group of dedicated supporters at home who stage occasional demonstrations to back Hwang.

Hwang went on trial this month for allegedly accepting S$2.1m in private donations based on the outcome of the falsified research and embezzling about $831 000 in private and government research funds.

Hwang also is accused of buying human eggs for research, a violation of the country's bioethics law.

- AP