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President Roh Moo-hyun on
Sunday tried to quell an outcry that greeted an MBC program that
reported flawed ethics in projects by stem cell pioneer Prof. Hwang
Woo-suk. Roh on Sunday posted a statement on the official Cheong Wa Dae
website urging people to show more tolerance. The broadcaster¡¯s ¡°PD Diary¡± current affairs show invited the ire
of Hwang supporters last week by reporting in depth on revelations that
the geneticist¡¯s team used ova donated by junior researchers in the
team. An online support group for Hwang called for a boycott of
products by companies that advertise during the program. ¡°I was also
annoyed by the MBC report, but the subsequent MBC bashing was
excessive,¡± the president wrote. ¡°The situation seems to be spiraling
out of control, and if 11 out of the 12 advertisers cancel their
contracts with the program, things have gone too far.¡± Roh said the scale of the protest left him worried about a
lack of tolerance in society. ¡°Societies where conformity is
overwhelming and no criticism is tolerated have always left only shame
in history,¡± he said. ¡°The expression of divergent views ensures a
system of checks and balances whereby our society can be ruled by
common sense.¡± (englishnews@chosun.com )
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