By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Whether to approve human stem cell research by disgraced scientist Hwang Woo-suk again ― that is the question now facing the government.
The Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs will make a decision Saturday on whether the cloning expert, who shocked the nation in late 2005 when his internationally published papers were found to be fabricated, will be able to make a dramatic comeback.
Suam Bioengineering Research Institute in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, where the former Seoul National University (SNU) professor is currently engaged in animal cloning, asked the ministry to approve its research on human embryonic somatic cells at the end of last year.
According to a revised Bioethics Law, institutes wanting to study embryos have to get approval from the ministry. The purpose of the study is also limited to research on infertility or incurable diseases.
The ministry delayed making the decision in April for 90 days, and the second deadline will be Aug. 2.
Ministry officials remain cautious about the issue. If they approve, they will draw criticism for indulging the scientist who is still on trial on fraud and embezzlement charges. If not, they will face denouncement from Hwang's supporters. Not only supporters but also many ordinary citizens think that Hwang, despite the fabrication, is still the best in the cloning field, according to recent surveys.
A senior ministry official said he could not say anything but that the decision would be made ``according to the principle.''
Hwang, once considered as one of the pioneering experts in the human and animal cloning field, was disgraced after data in a published paper was found to have been falsified. SNU expelled him and the government rescinded its financial and legal support for him.
Hwang has kept a low profile at the institute since then, but his team has claimed they have made some achievements ― in May, a California-based venture firm BioArts International said it would start a dog cloning business in partnership with Hwang, disclosing three claimed-to-be clones of a dog. Earlier this month, the company announced that it would clone Trakr, the dog that found the last survivor at the World Trade Center in New York after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.