Hwang Woo-suk, a former Seoul National University professor, was given an award yesterday but could not receive it because he was on trial for charges related to fraudulent research.

His reputation as a cloning expert was tarnished after data in two of his research papers published in international journals was found to be fake.

"Even though he is on trial, we have made our decision by considering his achievements in the embryonic stem-cell development and his success in cloning dogs," said an official of the Jang Yeong-sil Memorial Foundation.



Aimed at honoring Jang Yeong-sil, a scientist and astronomer during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the foundation has awarded talented scientists such as professor Choi Soon-dal who launched Korea`s first satellite.

While his representative received the prize at the awarding ceremony held in central Seoul yesterday, Hwang appeared in court to face trial. Along with him, other five key researchers also attended the court hearing - the first time in three years they had met in court.

The disgraced scientist and his research team have been on trial on charges of violating the bio-ethics law and embezzling research funds since 2006. He was dismissed from Seoul National University for ethical misconduct after fabricating research.

Because of their difficulties in handling the sophisticated science involved in cloning and questioning more than 100 people involved in the scandal, the court has been struggling to examine the case for the past four years.

Noting that the authenticity of his research should be judged by academic opinions of scientists, the legal debate has focused on whether he tried to receive financial support from companies even when he knew of the problems with his research paper.

"The trial proceedings are reaching an end as we have almost completed our investigation into Hwang," said Bae Ki-yeol, the chief judge. "We are planning to make our decision this autumn."

In April, the government conditionally lifted its three-year-old ban on stem cell research, which has been halted entirely since 2006 when Hwang, once considered a national hero, admitted that he had directed the fabrication of the paper.

Observers said the government`s decision would not only pave the way for scientists to resume experiments but also have a positive effect on the court ruling.

(jylee@heraldm.com)



By Lee Ji-yoon