SNU Disciplines Fund-Using Professors

Seoul National University (SNU) decided to additionally impose heavy penalties against the College of Veterinary Medicine of SNU professors Lee Byung-chun and Kang Sung-geun, who were indicted without physical detention on charges of privately appropriating research funds.

SNU president Chung Un-chan yesterday said, “Two professors who embezzled research funds undermined SNU’s integrity so we will submit their cases to a disciplinary committee,” and added that because the amount of money they embezzled is large and the case is significant, “we will request the disciplinary committee impose heavy penalties on them.”

Meanwhile, with the closing of prosecutors’ investigation into the stem cell thesis manipulation scandal, the government has decided to start collecting government research aid funds given to former SNU professor Hwang Woo-suk.

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) yesterday officially canceled its research facility business contract for the establishment of a SNU biotechnical research institute, which it had announced in support of the stem cell research of former professor Hwang, and of an antibiotic pig breeding facility in Suwon City and announced that it will collect the remaining out of the total funding of 16.5 billion won it provided.

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