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Seoul National University president Chung Un-chan on Wednesday
apologized for the ¡°indelible stain¡± left on Korean science by the
scientific fraud of disgraced cloning researcher Hwang Woo-suk. The
apology comes a day after an internal university panel said Hwang faked
data in two articles published in 2004 and last year that appeared to
record groundbreaking research on stem cell cloning. ¡°I feel miserable to discover that Hwang¡¯s team really fabricated
its papers,¡± the president said in a statement. ¡°I offer sincere
apologies for Hwang, who left an indelible stain on the Korean
scientific community as well as the world scientific community.¡± Chung promised stern punishment for all those involved in the
fabrication, saying he had asked the school¡¯s disciplinary committee to
come up with punitive measures. He also announced plans to set up a
research review committee in the university that will ensure the
authenticity of research. ¡°I believe this incident offers an opportunity for the
scientific community to develop self-purifying mechanisms, and that
will at least be a valuable asset,¡± Chung said. ¡°Our university will
try to overcome the humiliation and frustration resulting from the
incident and restore its proud tradition.¡± Meanwhile, the government has decided to strip Hwang of his
title as the country¡¯s first ¡°top scientist¡± and all other public
titles. It will also ask the Board of Audit and Inspection to
investigate Hwang¡¯s use of state funding for his stem cell research.
The police said it pulled off the special bodyguards it provided for
Hwang. (englishnews@chosun.com )
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