Appeal Trial Begins for Disgraced Cloning Scientist

An appeals court began a trial Thursday for disgraced cloning scientist Hwang Woo-suk eight months after he was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence of two years for embezzlement and trading human eggs for experiments.

At the trial, Hwang’s attorney said the research funds his client used were invested in his cloning research, claiming Hwang did not embezzle government money but failed to take the proper procedure for the funds’ diversion.

In addition, the defense called it “unfair” to define the coverage of the funds used in the process of collecting eggs as paid transactions by Hwang’s team.

Once hailed as a national hero for his pioneering achievements in stem cell research, the former Seoul National University professor was indicted in May 2006 after admitting to fabricating his research papers and illegally getting private and state funds by falsifying the results of his patient-customized stem cell research.

baltika7@donga.com