Ethics Newsline®

SEOUL
Hwang Woo-suk, the South Korean scientist who became a national hero after claiming to have cloned human stem cells — and who tumbled to international disgrace after it was disclosed that his research was fabricated — last week was indicted in South Korea on criminal charges.

He faces counts of fraud, embezzlement, and violation of South Korea’s bioethics laws, according to the Associated Press.

Several colleagues from various research institutes also were indicted, according to the English-language version of Chosun Ilbo, Korea’s largest-circulation paper. Prosecutors concluded that Hwang was deceived initially by a junior researcher who exaggerated test results to please his boss, but that Hwang eventually became complicit in the plot, the paper reported.

The Korea Times reported that the government will seek the return of what amounts to about $31 million in state-granted research funds. According to the report, critics have questioned why so much government money was funneled to Hwang without the state checking on the integrity of the experiments.

If convicted, Hwang could be sentenced to ten years in prison.

Hwang’s research had raised hopes that scientists could clone stem cells to repair and replace diseased tissues and organs in order to treat conditions such as liver failure or Alzheimer’s.