blog.bioethics.net

Hwang Woo-suk Update

Rumor and bits of evidence now dominate the discussion of the Hwang Woo suk matter, and today is no different.

The Korea Times reports that Hwang's lab samples matched somatic cells from donors, indicating Hwang's group "has partially succeeded in creating patient-tailored stem cell lines," which in turn casts in a positive light the original Hwang paper concerning somatic cell nuclear transfer (cloning) derived stem cells.

In the same article it is reported that the SNU panel has officially disclosed now that two scientists in Hwang's group gave a big pile of cash to Kim Sun-jong before and after he gave a really nice interview on behalf of Hwang. They it is suspected were giving a bribe, of $30,000, to Kim Sun-jong and his father, on behalf of Hwang. Marmot identifies a source who says that "the money was supposedly compensation for "mental stress" suffered by Kim thanks to the strong-arm tactics of these mean, mean men from [the Korean television network] MBC." And Marmot writes: "we have an SBS report (via the Chosun Ilbo) claiming that the [Korean] National Intelligence Service (NIS) was involved in the money transfers to Kim. The NIS is denying the report."

You will recall that Hwang accused Kim of swapping cell lines, and that he is implicated in the entire matter of fabrication. In any event, Pauly Walnuts these guys who appeared to be checking on departing scientists at Pitt seem to in fact have been bringing cash to the U.S., and in so doing broke at least the Korean foreign exchange control law. At some point the criminal wrongdoing element of this nonsense will reach a threshold beyond which CNN's Nancy Grace lives.


[Updated 12/28]