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Disgraced Cloning Scientist Hwang Woo-suk Found Guilty of Embezzlement

from the Los Angeles Times (Registration Required)

Disgraced South Korean cloning scientist Hwang Woo-suk was found guilty by a Seoul court today of embezzling from his stem cell research fund and illegally buying human embryos.

The court also ruled that the 56-year-old Hwang, who became a national hero after he claimed to be the first to successfully clone human stem cells, had partially fabricated the results of his research. He was given a suspended jail sentence.

"He feels deeply sorry that this case elicited so much criticism in the scientific field and shocked the public. ... His wrongdoing is not minor but does not merit the severe punishment of a prison sentence," the Seoul Central District Court said in the verdict.