Hwang Woo-suk’s fraud scandal

Continuously launching world-wide scientific research results, Hwang Woo-suk was praised by many Korean people as an important figure leading the future of Korean science and technology. Flowers, applause, and honors continued to come: in 2005, the International Stem Cell Research Center of Seoul National University was established. , Hwang Woo-suk serves as director; the Korean government awarded him the honor of "Korea's Top Scientist"; the Korean government provided tens of billions of won in funding to his research team for research; Hwang Woo-suk continued to appear in various academic conferences and public occasions at home and abroad, becoming a South Korea's "national treasure" figures even enjoy bodyguard services provided by the government.

The collapse of the "Hwang Woo-suk myth" began at the end of 2005, when the Korean Culture Broadcasting Corporation's news program "PD Handbook" reported the scandal of Hwang Woo-suk "taking the eggs of researchers" during the research process. Later, it was revealed that the station's editors and reporters used intimidation to coerce confessions from researchers during interviews. Later, members of his research team pointed out that the 2005 paper contained fraudulent elements. Subsequent investigations by Seoul National University confirmed that the stem cell research results published by Hwang Woo-suk in the magazine "Science" were all false. Hwang Woo-suk's "academic fraud" scandal shocked the scientific community and his reputation was tarnished. Seoul National University dismissed him as a professor, and the South Korean government also revoked the title of "Top Scientist" awarded to him. Hwang Woo-suk's reputation was disgraced, and South Korea was also humiliated. However, the only thing that gave Koreans some relief was that the investigation committee confirmed that one of Hwang Woo-suk's main "achievements", the world's first cloned dog "Snappy", was not fake.

South Korean prosecutors filed a lawsuit against Hwang Woo-suk in May 2006, and in August 2009, they filed charges against Hwang Woo-suk for fraud, embezzlement of research funds, and illegal trading of human eggs in violation of the Bioethics Act, requesting the court He was sentenced to 4 years in prison.

On October 26, 2009, the South Korean court held a 100-minute verdict that day. The verdict stated that Hwang Woo-suk not only illegally used human eggs, but also defrauded and obtained funds amounting to 830 million won (approximately 1,180 won for 1 U.S. dollar) by making false accounts and other means. The nature of the crime was serious. The court also found that part of the research paper on human stem cells published by Hwang Woo-suk in the American "Science" magazine was partially falsified. However, the court took into account several factors such as Huang Yuxi's contribution to the field of scientific research and decided to impose a suspended sentence on him.

In response to the fraud charges brought against Hwang Woo-suk by the prosecutor's office, the court found that the 2 billion won in research funding Hwang received from South Korea's SK Consortium and financial institutions did not violate the "Specified Economic Crimes Aggravated Punishment Act" and he was not guilty of fraud. . The court also sentenced several members of Hwang Woo-suk's scientific research team to suspended sentences or fines that day.

In the end, the Seoul Central District Court in South Korea made a first-instance verdict on the Hwang Woo-suk case, which lasted for more than three years. He was sentenced to 2 years in prison with a three-year suspended sentence for embezzlement of government research funds and illegal egg trading.