Hwang Woo-suk, who became famous for his human cloning breakthroughs until they were found to be faked, has been fired from his post, along with 6 members of his team, at Seoul National University.

Hwang Woo-suk will also have to face charges of fraud and embezzlement. (Embezzlement = To take money, for example, for one’s own use in violation of a trust. SOURCE: http://dictionary.reference.com))

Dr. Woo-suk still insists most of the dishonesty was done without his knowledge. The University will soon announce what other punitive action it intends to take against Woo-suk and his team.

According to the country’s audit board, Dr. Woo-suk may have misused government funds. A criminal investigation is being undertaken, say prosecutors.

Dr. Woo-suk and his team faked most of the work which made him famous worldwide – producing stem cell lines taken from cloned embryos.

He did, however, create the first cloned dog, called Snuppy (an Afghan Hound).

Dr. Woo-suk took his government, his university, and all the South Korean people up to the top of the hill of pride and national glory. He became revered nationally and internationally for his ?scientific achievements’. Then he brought them down to the bottom into a whirling pool of shame, scandal and humiliation.

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today