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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. ([email protected] )
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