Stem cell scientist found partially guilty

The years-long scandal of Hwang Woo-suk, a former Seoul National University professor charged with fraudulent stem cell research, reached the end of its first chapter yesterday as the court handed down a suspended sentence of two years.

"Though Hwang fabricated the DNA photographs in his 2004 paper and the stem cell charts in his 2005 paper, he cannot be seen as having thus defrauded his sponsors or the public," said the ruling judge of the Seoul Central Court yesterday. The scientist received 2 billion won ($1.7 million) in research funds from corporations by displaying his seemingly successful research papers.

"The money was voluntarily donated by the corporations, regardless of the contents of Hwang`s papers," ruled the court.

The prosecution and the court, however, decided that the scientific authenticity of Hwang`s papers was to be judged by scientific circles and not by the court.

The scientist was also declared guilty of embezzling part of the money for personal use and illegal egg cell-trading by using borrowed name accounts, said the court.



"Despite his purposes, which may have been purely scientific, Hwang is still guilty of embezzling 830 million won through forged documents and illicitly trafficking human egg-cells," said the presiding judge.

The court nevertheless suspended the scientist`s sentence, considering that he used the money for scientific deeds and not for personal use.

Among his research colleagues, Kim Seon-jong was given a suspended 2-year sentence, while Lee Byung-cheon and Kang Sung-keun received fines of 30 million won and 10 million won respectively, according to court officials.

It took the court three years and four months, 43 hearings, 60 witnesses, 20,000 pages of investigative documents, and 780 pieces of evidence to reach its verdict, according to court officials. The court has also spent a whole two months writing down its 250-page long verdict, since the final hearing took place in August.

The ruling was originally set to be handed down last week but the presiding court requested one extra week to go over the vast range of evidence.

Hwang became a national hero by cloning a cow for the first time in Korea back in 1999 and publishing his research paper on human stem cells in 2004. However, the national science hero who offered the public hope that his study could help cure a number of diseases was soon disgraced.

Prosecutors indicted Hwang in May 2006 on charges of fraud, fund embezzlement and illicit human egg-cell trading, after he admitted that his papers had in part been forged.

Amid the scandal, the professor was dismissed from Seoul National University shortly before the prosecutorial indictment in March 2006 for ethical misconduct, a measure which he requested the Seoul Administrative Court to annul.

Throughout the hearings, a particularly heated point of debate was whether Hwang had deliberately attempted to embezzle research funds, knowing that his research was flawed.

Despite the unresolved court case, the scientist received the Jang Yeong-sil prize for Scientist of the Year in June for his contribution to embryonic stem cell development and his success in cloning dogs.

Both the prosecution and Hwang`s side are expected to make an appeal to the Seoul High Court, in which case the trial may last another few years until a ruling from the Supreme Court.

(tellme@heraldm.com)



By Bae Hyun-jung