Yesterday, Roh Sung-il, a colleague of the renowned South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk, announced on South Korean television that Professor Hwang’s stem cell research is fraudulent.
Mr. Roh asserted that Professor Hwang has acknowledged this and is seeking to retract the research paper published in the journal Science last June. Researcher Roh is also a co-author of the paper alongside Professor Hwang.
On MBC television, Mr. Roh further accused Professor Hwang of pressuring a colleague to fabricate research. However, an editor from the journal Science stated that they could not yet recognize Mr. Roh’s claims and have not been able to contact Professor Hwang.
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, who is visiting the Philippines, called for caution regarding information related to Professor Hwang’s stem cell research. Previously, the scientific community worldwide had raised numerous concerns about Hwang Woo-suk’s stem cell research. On December 14, the journal Science reported receiving a letter from eight international scientists, including the “father” of Dolly the sheep, requesting to participate in an independent investigation.
The group of scientists urged Mr. Hwang to provide all original data for evaluation by foreign experts. They referenced the case of Dolly the sheep, which was initially suspected of being fabricated, but the doubts vanished after all data was thoroughly reviewed by a group of scientists. The letter encouraged Mr. Hwang to cooperate with the investigative team to conduct experiments on the cell lines he had developed.
On the same day, American scientist Gerald Schatten (a former collaborator in Professor Hwang’s research team) requested that the journal Science remove his name from the paper he co-authored with Professor Hwang’s team, stating that “there are significant doubts regarding the accuracy of the paper.”
N.T.ĐA
