Jan 11, 2006, 10:06 GMT
Seoul - Seoul National University apologized Wednesday for the scandal around the falsified research of stem cell scientist Hwang Woo Suk, calling it a blemish on the country that embraced him as a national hero.
Picture dated 24 November 2005 of South Korea's stem cell expert Dr. Hwang Woo-Suk at Seoul National University (SNU). EPA/KYUNGHYANG SHINMUN
The incident has left an 'unwashable stain on the whole scientific community as well as our country' said Chung Un Chan, president of South Korea's top university.
Hwang was removed from his position at the national university in December when a university panel found he had fabricated research for an article published in Science journal last year claiming to have produced 11 stem cell lines genetically matched to patients.
On Tuesday, the panel concluded that Hwang faked all of his human stem cell research, including his landmark 2004 claim in Science that he cloned a human embryo and extracted stem cells from it.
Chung labeled the scandal as a 'criminal act in academia' and said he would seek punishment for Hwang and other researchers on his team.
Also on Wednesday, the government announced it would remove the title 'top scientist', created for and bestowed on Hwang for his alleged scientific breakthroughs.
The government will also launch an audit of national funds provided for Hwang's research.
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