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In their first audible reaction to a scandal that has been rocking
Korea for weeks, academics at cloning pioneer Prof. Hwang Woo-suk¡¯s own
Seoul National University on Thursday urged verification of research
results that have been at the center of controversy. The scandal was
stirred up by MBC¡¯s ¡°PD Diary¡± current affairs show, which cited a team
member as casting aspersions on stem cell research by Hwang¡¯s team. Academics including staff of SNU¡¯s College of Biological
Sciences were to meet with university president Chung Un-chan on
Thursday to urge internal verification of results, but the plan was
canceled due to excessive media attention. SNU on Wednesday held a seminar on bioethics, where members
of the university¡¯s bioethics committee delivered a message to Chung,
saying SNU needs to form an ethics review board in the long term to
make sure research meets international standards. Chung on Thursday presided over a meeting of deans on Thursday
afternoon to review calls for internal verification. There, a majority
of participants called for prudence, and SNU decided not to issue any
statement concerning Hwang at the university level. After the meeting, Roe Jung-hye, the dean of SNU¡¯s Office of
Research Affairs, said most deans had recommended caution. Many deans
said the problems of science must be resolved by scientists, and warned
of a hasty reaction given the inflammatory nature of Hwang¡¯s case. SNU
would take full account of deans¡¯ opinions when deciding what to do
next, Roe said.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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