The South Korean government has done a lot of huffing and puffing about restoring the ethics and credibility of Korean stem cell science after the Hwang debacle broke in 2005. But just weeks after a plagiarism scandal in California involving the director of a Korean stem cell institute, suspicions have arisen about a paper on wolf cloning at Seoul National University by a former associate of Hwang.

Professor Lee Byeong-chun claimed in the international journal Cloning and Stem Cells that he had cloned two wolves. Now a group of Korean scientists has expressed their scepticism and his University has announced a probe into his results.

In the wake of revelations of Hwang’s fraudulent research, Professor Lee was suspended for three months. However he returned to his job after it was shown that he had succeeded in cloning dogs.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

Latest posts by Michael Cook (see all)

• How long can you put off seeing the doctor because of lockdowns? - December 3, 2021
• House of Lords debates assisted suicide—again - October 28, 2021
• Spanish government tries to restrict conscientious objection - October 28, 2021